Update – 29/10/2020

As of the latest update by the Greek authorities on Wednesday, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 diagnosed cases in Greece is 34,299. 10 new deaths were reported raising the total number to 603. The number of patients treated in intensive care units stands at 108. 1,547 new cases were announced yesterday in Greece, maintaining the daily number above 1000 for the second consecutive day. 419 of the new cases were found in the Attica region.

As new confirmed coronavirus infections smashed the 1,000 mark for the second day in a row since the pandemic began in Greece, infectious diseases expert Sotiris Tsiodras called on citizens to avoid mass gatherings and wear face coverings at all times. “The spread of the coronavirus is impossible to control,” he said in his first televised briefing since August. “Face masks are the only choice we have. We take it off only to eat [when we are with someone else].” “I want to say, with a clear conscience, that we do not lose hope, we continue to fight as citizens with measures that make our lives easier, that allow social life without the ban [lockdown], which has huge social consequences,” he said. “We want to avoid a lockdown, with its consequences.” Tsiodras said that people’s “personal choice will play an important role” in how the pandemic develops in the country.

A microbiology professor and member of the government’s expert committee on the coronavirus pandemic said on Tuesday that he believes stricter restrictions are necessary to stem the rapid rise of new coronavirus infections in many parts of the country. “There’s no leeway left; we need to move ahead with additional measures before the weather changes, as weather conditions play a part in the transmission of the virus,” Athens Medical School professor Athanassios Tsakris told Skai radio on Tuesday. One of the key measures he says that he has recommended is closing down restaurants and bars earlier from the current midnight limit and extending the 12.30-5 a.m. curfew so that it goes into effect earlier. These measures would be aimed particularly at cities like Athens and Thessaloniki, where infections among young people continue to rise, most likely as a result of crowding at bars and after-hours at public squares.

Only part of the European Union population can be inoculated against the new coronavirus before 2022, EU officials said in an internal meeting, as the vaccines the bloc is securing may not prove effective or may not be manufactured in sufficient doses. The 27-nation bloc, with a population of 450 million, has booked more than 1 billion doses of potential Covid-19 vaccines from three drugmakers. It is negotiating the advance purchase of another billion vials with other companies. “There will not be sufficient doses of Covid-19 vaccines for the entire population before the end of 2021,” a European Commission official told diplomats from EU states in a closed-door meeting on Monday, a person who attended it told Reuters. A second official confirmed the statement. An EU Commission spokesman was not immediately available for comment. The EU Commission had earlier said vaccines will be limited “during the initial stages of deployment” but had never clarified how long the initial phase would last. There is still no effective Covid-19 vaccine, but the first shots could be available at the beginning of next year, the Commission said earlier in October. Given a likely limited supply, the Commission has for months urged EU governments to devise vaccination plans that would prioritise vulnerable and essential groups, such as healthcare workers, the elderly or people with chronic diseases.

The large majority of Greeks trust their government in managing the pandemic, but about one in two believe that health authorities are exaggerating the numbers of deaths, according to a global survey on the pandemic whose results were published on the Guardian on Monday. The YouGov-Cambridge Globalism Project poll, designed in collaboration with the Guardian, which involved 26,000 people from 25 countries, showed that 59 percent of respondents in Nigeria and 46 percent in Greece were most likely to believe the Covid-19 fatalities were inflated. At the same time, many people believe that the US government was responsible for creating and spreading the virus, the Guardian said. A total of 37% of respondents in Turkey believed this, against one in five in Greece and Spain, 16% in Poland, 12% in France and 5% in the UK. The poll was conducted in July and August.

Greek Education Minister Niki Kerameus announced on Tuesday that she has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The minister said she decided to get tested after her spouse developed symptoms of Covid-19 and the results showed that both had been infected. She added that she is currently asymptomatic and isolating, in line with the official health guidelines.

European Union Commissioner Margaritis Schinas on Tuesday announced that he has tested positive for the novel coronavirus and will be self-isolating. “I have just learned that my regular scheduled #COVID19 test before the College came back positive. I am now self-isolating as required. Stay safe,” Schinas announced in a post on Twitter. The 58-year-old Greek officials is the European commissioner for Promoting the European Way of Life.

Regarding yesterday’s 1547 cases:

52 were detected during the tests carried out at Greece’s entry points

1 imported case that took the test voluntarily

419 cases were detected in the regional unit of Attica

384 cases were detected in the regional unit of Thessaloniki

4 cases were detected in the regional unit of Aitoloakarnania

1 case was detected in the regional unit of Argolida

5 cases were detected in the regional unit of Arkadia

1 case was detected in the regional unit of Arta

10 cases were detected in the regional unit of Achaia

6 cases were detected in the regional unit of Voiotia

2 cases were detected in the regional unit of Grevena

34 cases were detected in the regional unit of Drama

26 case was detected in the regional unit of Evros

1 case was detected in the regional unit of Evoia

12 cases were detected in the regional unit of Imathia

6 cases were detected in the regional unit of Iraklio

3 cases were detected in the regional unit of Thesprotia

3 cases were detected in the regional unit of Thira

1 case was detected in the regional unit of Ikaria

51 cases were detected in the regional unit of Ioannina

13 cases were detected in the regional unit of Kavala

5 cases were detected in the regional unit of Karditsa

15 cases were detected in the regional unit of Kastoria

4 cases were detected in the regional unit of Kerkyra

13 cases were detected in the regional unit of Kozani

8 cases were detected in the regional unit of Korinthos

5 cases were detected in the regional unit of Kos

61 cases were detected in the regional unit of Larissa

2 cases were detected in the regional unit of Lasithi

5 cases were detected in the regional unit of Lesvos

1 case was detected in the regional unit of Lefkada

1 case was detected in the regional unit of Limnos

10 cases were detected in the regional unit of Magnisia

10 cases were detected in the regional unit of Messinia

1 case was detected in the regional unit of Naxos

8 cases were detected in the regional unit of Xanthi

34 cases were detected in the regional unit of Pellas

18 cases were detected in the regional unit of Pierias

1 case was detected in the regional unit of Preveza

57 cases were detected in the regional unit of Rodopi

5 cases were detected in the regional unit of Rodos

158 cases were detected in the regional unit of Serres

1 case was detected in the regional unit of Sporades

16 cases were detected in the regional unit of Trikala

1 case was detected in the regional unit of Fthiotida

4 cases were detected in the regional unit of Florina

9 cases were detected in the regional unit of Chalkidiki

4 cases were detected in the regional unit of Chania

3 cases were detected in the regional unit of Chios

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