Transmission of the coronavirus has surged in Greece, as the country recorded a stunning 1,261 cases on Tuesday, which represents 718 more than the 543 cases that were diagnosed in the country one day earlier, on Monday.
Tragically, 22 people with the virus passed away in the country over the past 24-hour period, which is 11 fewer than those recorded yesterday.
Currently, 244 patients with Covid-19 are now intubated in Greece, four fewer than those who were intubated in the country on Monday.
The incredible rise in cases in the country comes as transmission of the virus has increased by approximately 40% in Attica, home to Athens, the Greek capital.
A total of 652 cases of the coronavirus were diagnosed in Attica alone on Tuesday.
Cases are particularly high in Athens, Greece’s most populous city, as well. In total, 180 cases of Covid-19 were recorded in the center of the city over the past 24-hour period.
The city’s western suburbs had a total of 105 cases on Tuesday.
In Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city, a total of 126 cases were identified in the last 24 hours. The number is exponentially higher than the 39 cases recorded in the city on Monday.
Greeks must be “vigilant” in following anti-virus measures
Before Greece’s National Public Health Organization (EODY) announced Tuesday’s enormous spike in cases, Panagiotis Arkoumaneas, President of the organization, warned that the huge increase in transmissions was coming.
While speaking to television station ERT, at the site of rapid testing in the Athenian neighborhood of Sepolia, Arkoumaneas stated that it was “very possible” that Greece would record case numbers in the quadruple digits on Tuesday.
He owes the increase in cases to the presence of both the UK and South African variants of the virus in Greece.
Since the UK variant was first found in the country in early January, a total of 204 positive samples of the mutation have been identified in Greece.
So far, only one case of the South African variant has been diagnosed in Greece.
Arkoumaneas also warned that Greeks must remain “vigilant in following anti-virus measures,” considering the surge in cases and mutations in the country.
Officials warned of a coming third wave in Greece as cases began to surge in Attica, the UK variant spread in the country, and the South African mutation of the virus was identified in Thessaloniki, the nation’s second-largest city.
Officials debate stricter lockdown
Greece announced stricter lockdown measures on January 29 for areas of the country where transmission of the virus remained high, including Attica.
The new measures primarily impact the retail sector, as shopping in stores that sell clothes, shoes, and jewelry will now require an appointment in the “red” zones, and all other retail stores will operate on a curbside pick up basis, called “click away.”
In Athens, the 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM curfew remains in effect. In the other red zones, however, the curfew has been changed to 6:00 PM until 5:00 AM.
As cases rise, officials are debating imposing a stricter lockdown in red zones, particularly Attica.
Greek Minister for Civil Protection Nikos Chardalias, speaking to television network ANT1 Tuesday, stated that every day, officials “consider the data, and a comprehensive lockdown will be on the table when the epidemiological data causes great concern.”
Notably, Chardalias made the announcement before Tuesday’s new cases were officially released.
Total 1,131 coronavirus patients discharged from Greek ICUs
In total, 158,716 cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in the country since the beginning of the pandemic, including all those who have recovered from the virus.
Of this total, 5,988 are associated with foreign travel, and 49,885 are associated with contact with a known case.
Of the 244 patients intubated currently, 86.5% are over the age of 70 or suffer from preexisting conditions. Their median age is 68, and 178 of the patients are male.
Additionally, a total of 1,131 patients have been discharged from ICUs around the country since the beginning of the pandemic.
The 22 new deaths recorded on Tuesday bring the total number of fatalities in the country to 5,851. Of all those who lost their lives after suffering from the virus, a total of 3,437 have been male.
The median age of those who passed away with Covid-19 is 79, and 95.5% of them were over the age of 70 or suffered from underlying health issues.
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