Update – 06/12/2021
December 6, 2021
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As of the latest update by the Greek authorities, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 diagnosed cases in Greece 966,221. 79 new deaths were reported raising the total number to 18,595. The number of patients treated in intensive care units is currently 715. 3,526 new cases were announced yesterday in Greece. 1,016 of the new cases were found in the Attica region and 577 new cases in the Thessaloniki region.
Non-severe Covid-19 during pregnancy has no visible effect on the baby’s brain, according to a small study presented on Tuesday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. Researchers led by Dr Sophia Stoecklein of Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich used fetal MRI to study 33 pregnant women with mild or moderate COVID-19. The MRI scans showed “normal age-appropriate brain development” in all cases, Stoecklein said in a statement. “There were no findings indicative of infection of the fetal brain.”
Only mothers who did not require hospital admission were included in the study. “Since the impact of severe infection on brain development in the fetus has not been conclusively determined, active protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy remains important,” Stoecklein said.
A total of 193,000 appointments for a Covid-19 booster shot were made through the online platform since Friday night, according to data by the Ministry of Digital Governance.
Another 8,300 appointments were made for the first dose of the coronavirus vaccination during the same time.
In an effort to boost vaccination rates among those aged over 60, the government mandated inoculations for people in the 60+ age group who have not had at least one vaccine or the appointment for one as of January 16.
The National Vaccinations Committee approved on Friday the shortening of the waiting period between the second and third dose from six to three months, to encourage people to get the booster shot.
The Council of State, Greece’s highest administrative court, ruled Friday that the mandatory vaccination of health workers, the fire brigade and others against Covid-19 does not violate the Greek Constitution.
The ruling, which could pave the way for extending compulsory shots for other groups of workers or any population group determined by age criteria, came in the wake of an appeal against the government decision by several professional groups, including the Fire Service’s Special Disaster Management Unit (EMAK), the National Center for Emergency Care (EKAV) and the Public Hospital Workers Federation (POEDIN).
The court furthermore ruled that healthcare workers have a constitutional obligation to have themselves inoculated against the coronavirus as a display of social solidarity.
The cornerstone of the ruling regarding the constitutionality of compulsory vaccination measures was based, as stated in the rationale of the decision, on the fact that vaccination protects public health and the lives of citizens, which, it said, are the higher goals.
As a consequence, the significance of the court’s plenary decision means by implication that any similar appeal by citizens or trade unions against mandatory vaccination in the future will not be successful, as a very strong judicial precedent has already been created, which places compulsory shots within the constitutional framework.
Another impact aspect of the decision is that the suspension from work of those who do not want to be vaccinated without pay is constitutionally acceptable.
The importance of the decision and its consequences were reflected in the move by the court’s president, Dimitrios Skaltsounis, to make it public without waiting for its publication, as is usually the case, which will take place next spring, citing a relevant provision of a recent law.
Two more people who traveled from South Africa to Greece are suspected of being infected with the Omicron variant, after they tested positive for the coronavirus a few days ago, Health Minister Thanos Plevris announced Saturday.
The news comes two days after the first case was identified in Crete, in a man who had traveled from South Africa to Hania for the holidays.
The infections concern two individuals who entered Greece before the government imposed travel restrictions on the country, Plevris said, without specifying when they arrived or the region where the cases were detected. The new cases are not linked to the first infection detected on Thursday, he added.
The National Organization for Public Health (EODY) has yet to confirm the cases were Omicron.
Both patients show mild symptoms and remain isolated at home.
In more detail, the 3,526 new cases detected per Regional Unit:
