Update – 09/11/2021
November 9, 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 792,239. 65 new deaths were reported raising the total number to 16,361. The number of patients treated in intensive care units is currently 477. 7,335 new cases were announced yesterday in Greece. 1,455 of the new cases were found in the Attica region and 1,298 new cases in the Thessaloniki region.
The past seven days has seen a 185% increase in first vaccination appointments and a 200% surge in booster shot appointments, a Health Ministry official said on Monday.
At a regular briefing, Marios Themistocleous, secretary-general for primary health care, said the number of appointments had risen from 60,000 two weeks ago to 175,000.
In total, 61.2% of the general population has been fully vaccinated, which is below the European Union average, and 70.2% of the adult population.
Overall, a total of 460,000 citizens have been administered a booster shot, he said.
“It’s a very important increase,” he said. “What has changed is the introduction of the new measures and the high number of infections … But this must continue, and the pace of appointments must increase,” Themistocleous said.
With new Covid infections breaking one record after another, the president of Greece’s National Vaccination Committee, on Monday urged pregnant women and those breastfeeding to get vaccinated against Covid-19 to avoid risks to them and their baby.
“They put themselves and their baby at risk… Vaccines are recommended for pregnant women, nursing mothers and women planning to have children,” Maria Theodoridou said at a daily briefing on the pandemic, noting that there is no indication that the vaccines affect fertility.
Theodoridou also said that pregnant women with Covid have an increased risk of premature birth and other health issues while emphasizing that they themselves “are at the same risk as people with underlying health problems.”
Referring to the coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having on the country’s health services, leader of main opposition party SYRIZA Alexis Tsipras slammed the government over what he described as a “Third World situation,” noting that it is “dangerous” to subscribe to the view “peddled by” government officials that “we are living in a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”
“In addition to being discriminatory toward 40% of our fellow citizens, who of course are responsible for not getting vaccinated as is the government which has not convinced them, [this narrative] is also dangerous because it creates a sense of complacency among the remaining 60% who have been vaccinated,” he said during a visit to Ippokrateio Hospital in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, which is bearing the brunt of the recent surge.
“This Third World situation that is prevailing in our hospitals two years later [since the pandemic began] and with staff who have suffered from immense fatigue and unfortunately are not even applauded anymore but sometimes even beaten when they protest, can no longer continue,” he added.
Ending the fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic will be crucial for the economy in the coming months, with the government making the smooth functioning of markets a top priority.
As a result, and although new, stricter measures just came into force on Saturday, officials are already considering a Plan B in case coronavirus cases continue to increase.
Essentially, the government has decided, when and if deemed necessary, to rely on the same mix of measures that it used last year: to strengthen the national health system and curb entertainment.
Strengthening the health system would involve limiting and postponing surgeries to reserve more beds for Covid-19 patients; to have private clinics deal with non-Covid cases; and to invite doctors in private practice to offer their services to the public system and, if the response is not sufficient, to requisition them.
Regarding dining and entertainment, the Plan B calls for a prohibition on standing in entertainment venues, a ban on music and restrictions in the opening hours of restaurants and bars to avoid late-night crowds. These measures would apply to red-coded areas with a high Covid incidence.
Kathimerini understands that, given the rising trend in cases, some of these measures could be implemented this month.
When and if Plan B will be implemented will rely largely on how trends will develop this week, not only in the number of cases but also that of hospitalizations and intubations. The optimists foresee a flattening of the rising curves, starting this week. But there is also a pessimistic scenario that this wave of the pandemic will peak at the end of November, making December a very challenging month.
On the plus side, vaccination appointments have been on the rise recently for both first doses and boosters. Also, in addition to the vaccinated, those who get sick and survive contribute to the so-called wall of immunity, creating hope that the fourth wave of the pandemic will not last as long or be as intense as the one last winter.
At the same time, the government does not want any plans for restrictions to choke off recovery or threaten enterprises already buffeted by global trends. A prime example is state power company PPC, which can afford to absorb almost all rising energy costs because of its recently achieved financial health.
In more detail, the 7,335 new cases detected per Regional Unit:
