Update – 04/02/2022
February 4, 2022
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As of the latest update by the Greek authorities, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 diagnosed cases in Greece 2,002,206. 106 new deaths were reported raising the total number to 23,833. The number of patients treated in intensive care units is currently 568. 17,662 new cases were announced yesterday in Greece. 4,720 of the new cases were found in the Attica region and 2,084 new cases in the Thessaloniki region.
No variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is innocuous and when Omicron infects unvaccinated people it can cause serious illness, health authorities stressed Thursday.
“Let us not deceive ourselves that things are going better and that the coronavirus will gradually turn into a common cold,” said Vana Papaevangelou, an infectious diseases specialist and member of the country’s expert health committee, referring in particular to seniors who refuse to get vaccinated.
“In the last week, more than 70% of Covid-19 deaths have been among unvaccinated people over the age of 70,” she said, adding that getting infected in the past does not mean unvaccinated people of this age group will be safe the next time.
She also referred a study published Thursday, which found that Covid vaccinations had prevented about 20,000 deaths by December 2021. “Full vaccination with three doses is the only way,” she said.
The European Commission proposed on Thursday a change to rules on Covid-19 certificates that would allow participants in vaccine trials to get a valid pass despite having received unapproved shots.
The move follows concerns raised by Germany’s BioNTech and Spain’s Hipra about difficulties in enrolling volunteers for their Covid-19 vaccine trials because participants could face limitations to access public spaces and to travel.
The changes to the rules, which also extend by one year the validity of the EU Covid pass until the end of June 2023, will certify that EU countries can issue vaccination certificates to participants in trials. Some countries are already doing so.
The tweak however falls short of requiring EU countries to recognise these exceptional vaccine certificates when issued by other states in the bloc. As a result, when travelling across the 27-nation union, participants may be treated as not fully vaccinated and face restrictions.
A spokesman for the EU Commission said he expected EU countries will recognize the Covid passes issued to trial participants in other countries in the bloc.
The proposal must be adopted by EU lawmakers and governments.
Covidvaccination certificates are required in many EU countries to enter restaurants, gyms or cinemas. They are also necessary to travel across the bloc.
“A pharmaceutical company informed DE (Germany) that many participants would leave the clinical trial or refrain from participating because they would not be able to maintain their vaccination status with the not yet authorised specific booster dose,” says an EU document with minutes of a meeting of EU health experts on Jan. 5.
An EU official said the company that raised concerns was BioNTech, which is conducting trials in Germany and other countries on a booster dose that would target the Alpha and Delta variants of the coronavirus.
BioNTech also launched last week with its U.S. partner Pfizer clinical trials for a vaccine adapted to Omicron. Those trials are taking place in the United States.
BioNTech said it would welcome changes allowing trial participants to have a valid Covid certificate.
Spanish drugmaker Hipra had raised similar concerns as BioNTech, a spokesperson said. The company plans to recruit 3,000 volunteers in Europe for the final phase of its clinical trials for a vaccine.
With an average of more than 100 Covid-19 patients dying on a daily basis over the the last 10 days, the current period of the pandemic is considered the most deadly.
Indicatively, health authorities on Wednesday announced 106 new Covid-related fatalities, raising the total death toll since the beginning of the pandemic to 23,721. Roughly seven out of 10 deaths confirmed Wednesday involved people aged 80 and over.
The number of new confirmed coronavirus cases came to 18,825 from a total of 311,547 tests, i.e. a positive rate of 6%. Of these cases 5,189 were identified in Attica, 2,241 in Thessaloniki and 1,527 in Crete. High infection rates were also recorded on Wednesday on the islands of Mykonos, Kos and Corfu, and in the regions of Evros and Rodopi.
The number of patients on ventilators continued to inch down, with 561 compared to 563 the day before. However, new hospital admissions of patients with Covid increased to 521 against 454 on Tuesday.
Tellingly, the gap between admissions and discharges due to recovery is closing, which is leading to a gradual easing of the pressure on the national health system.
Last week, admissions stood at 3,029 with discharges at 2,678. The ratio of admissions to discharges due to recovery was 1.1 compared to 1.16 a week before, 1.22 in the second week of January and 1.6 in the first week of January.
The number of school-age children who became ill compared to the total number of cases remained stable last week. More specifically, 40,843 children aged 4 to 18 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, which amounts to 32% of the total number of cases detected.
In more detail, the 17,662 new cases detected per Regional Unit:
