Update – 26/10/2021
October 26, 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 720,295. 54 new deaths were reported raising the total number to 15,682. The number of patients treated in intensive care units is currently 354. 3,937 new cases were announced yesterday in Greece. 710 of the new cases were found in the Attica region and 623 new cases in the Thessaloniki region.
Another regional unit in northern Greece has decided not to hold any parades to mark the October 28 national holiday due to the increase in Covid-19 infections, it was announced on Monday.
Officials in Pella said the decision was in the interests of the health of the local community.
Ochi Day, marking Greece’s rejection of an Italian ultimatum and its entry into World War II on October 28, 1940, is celebrated with military and student parades.
The Pieria and Imathia regional units have taken a similar decision.
There are steep differences in vaccination coverage between different parts of the country and even within regional units, Greece’s latest coronavirus map shows.
According to the data, these regional discrepancies range from lows such as 38% in Evrytania in central Greece to highs of, say, 78.5% on the Cycladic island of Mykonos, while within Attica, for example, the northern section has a vaccination coverage rate of 72% against the western section’s 45.4%.
With 62.4% of the population having received at least one dose of a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 and analyzing the latest epidemiological map published on the covid-19.gov.gr platform, of Greece’s 74 regional units with less than 50% coverage, five are in Central and Eastern Macedonia-Thrace (Drama, Kilkis, Pella, Pieria and Serres), two are in Central Greece (Evrytania and Fokida), one is in the Peloponnese (Ilia) and another is in Attica (West).
The next category is areas where coverage is between 50-55% and it comprises 24 regional units, most of which are the remaining parts of the regions mentioned above.
Crete as a whole, two regional units in Attica, most of the islands of the Ionian and many in the Aegean make up the 24 areas in the category of 55-63% coverage, while just 17 regional units score above average. These are 12 islands, Preveza in northwestern Greece, the port city of Piraeus, and the northern, southern and central units of the capital.
The data also show that areas with low coverage are also responsible for high transmission of the virus, in relative terms. For example, in the 10 regional units with the highest number of new infections per 100,000 residents, vaccine coverage ranges from 44% (Kilkis) to 54% (Larissa).
Low vaccination coverage and high transmission rates in northern and central Greece also appear to impact occupancy rates at intensive care wards for Covid-19, which, according to last Thursday’s Health Ministry figures, came to nearly 95% in parts of Thessaly and Central Greece, and 94% in parts of Macedonia.
The recommended distance people must keep from each other to prevent the spread of Covid-19 has been reduced to 1.5 from 2 meters, according to a decision published in the Government Gazette and taking effect on Monday.
Under the new guidelines, all private and public offices and services, businesses, entertainment and leisure venues, retail stores, etc. can reduce the minimum amount of space between workers and customers/visitors, regardless of their vaccination status. This applies to both indoor and outdoor spaces, though it was not clear whether it applies to public transportation, schools and universities.
The gazette also includes a ministerial decision allowing supermarkets and shopping centers to go back to regular operating hours after these were extended last year to facilitate customers whose numbers were reduced because of the stricter physical distancing mandate.
The extended working hours for supermarkets were from 7 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. and for shopping center from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. These businesses retain the option of continuing with this schedule.
The new guidelines went into effect on Monday morning and will be reviewed on November 8.
In more detail, the 2,098 new cases detected per Regional Unit:
