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According to infectious disease specialist Sotiris Tsiodras, the vaccine is a light in the dark tunnel of the corona virus, which called on all health professionals to get vaccinated and set a good example to society.
However, the arrival of the vaccine in the country in about eight days and the start of vaccination is not enough to stop a third wave or a new outbreak of the virus, which is determined in January.
Experts now turn their attention to … meteorites, fearing a further increase in cases at a time when 10 red areas are being fought and four of them are already in a hard lockdown. 
Infectious disease specialists are not haphazardly calling for the Christmas holidays not to fuel the coronavirus, knowing that the encouraging return of triple-digit numbers in cases can very easily be reversed, and we can again see an exponential rise in numbers. diagnostics.
On the one hand, the tiredness of citizens when entering the seventh week of confinement, which leads to disobedience and relaxation, on the other hand, mobility that will be effortless during the Christmas season can lead to an increase in new diagnoses after the holiday season. vaccination in the country.
The rapid test embankment in the third wave
So, to avoid a third wave and, consequently, an extension of the restrictive measures, the government adopted a new strategy, the random sampling of the population by territory. A tactic tested internationally and with very positive results, which should have been implemented much earlier, according to the experts, but also the Opposition that accuses it of criminal procrastination.
Yesterday, the EKPA Assistant Professor of Medicine, and member of the Expert Committee, Gikas Majorkinis, presented the testing.gov.gr platform, through which citizens will be able to express their interest as of next Monday night to submit to rapid test for coronavirus.
They will fill in their data in a special form (name, postal code of residence, age, state and mobile phone number), while the registration of the application will be made with a verification code that will be sent to your mobile phone, immediately after his presentation. 
The citizens who will finally undergo the test will be randomly selected and will be informed by a message on the mobile phone about the time window and the point at which they will be subjected to a rapid test.
The first group of citizens will be notified on Saturday, December 26, and the first appointments will take place on Monday, December 28.
As noted by Mr. Majorkinis, there will be 386 fixed checkpoints across the country, which will be able to perform 12,000 tests per day.
It is recalled that the Armed Forces of the country will also contribute to this effort. According to the head of GEETHA, General Konstantinos Floros, the Armed Forces will participate with 130 sampling stations in 73 cities throughout the territory of 97 units and the three branches of the Armed Forces. At these stations, the selected citizens will undergo a quick test. The main objective of the program is to monitor the epidemiological situation in the country and, as Mr. Majorkinis characteristically addressed the citizens, “if you help us, together we can prevent the third pandemic wave.”
Need for more tests to prevent relapse
It should be noted, however, that our country is not among the first European countries with more tests per inhabitant.
By contrast, Greece ranks 14th from the end, that is, 33rd out of a total of 47 European countries, performing 295,705 tests per million inhabitants.
At the same time, in fact, most Central European countries have two to four times more evidence than our country. 
Therefore, the new strategy with the sampling tests comes in a critical period due to the particularly fragile situation due to the transmissibility of the virus, which shows the need for more tests in our country.
What areas are in danger of reviving during the holidays?
Professor Demosthenes Sarigiannis has sounded the danger “bell” for specific areas that may face an outbreak after Christmas.
According to the professor of Engineering in Health and Environment, Demosthenes Sarigiannis, there is a de-escalation at the national level, but some areas are cause for concern and he stressed that “it is good to stay until January 20.”
These areas, in addition to West Attica and Kozani, which are already in a hard lockdown, are also: Karditsa, Magnesia, Chios, Achaia, Thassos and Larissa. According to the professor, these areas need attention, although he did not rule out the possibility of a resurgence after Christmas.
“The difficult period is right after Christmas, where the weather will be even worse. “It doesn’t help at all. It increases the spread of the virus,” he noted. 
Speaking to SKAI, the professor acknowledged that Greece is in a phase of good de-escalation, as shown by the reproduction rate of RT, which stands at 0.88, which means that a person infects below a fellow citizen. “We actually have a recession in the pandemic,” he added.
“Unfortunately, the death toll remains high. As long as it is what we expected to see,” he stressed, among other things.
The center of Athens was “flooded” with people despite the closure
However, the lock alone does not look like the picture in the center of Athens on Saturday night.
Specifically, around 7:00 p.m., that is, three hours before the κυκλοφο traffic ban, the traffic in Syntagma Square is reminiscent of the pre-Koronai προ era and is definitely pre-blocking.
The center of Athens was flooded with people, despite the strict measures of the police making recommendations to citizens to leave.
Most have gone downtown to see decorated Athens and many of them are waiting in Ermou’s shops to pick up what they have bought.
Eight minutes is enough to paste
According to experts, home concentrations are hotbeds of the virus. In fact, it has been estimated that just 8 minutes is enough to transmit the virus indoors.
That is why experts are sounding the alarm for New Year’s Eve and some are very cautious about family dispersion, clarifying that the safest option would be to choose to stay at home without guests.
“Our houses, the closed spaces, are important factors of dispersion. One player can keep all of them. If in an apartment of 120 square meters and 20 people gather, even wearing a mask, it can be dispersed. If they don’t wear a mask, only 8 minutes are enough for the spread to take place, “said Vana Papaevangelou, pediatrician – infectious disease specialist during regular information on Monday on the evolution of the virus.
The measures that will not be missing at the Christmas table
Professor Gikas Majorkinis also recommended paying attention to festive gatherings and emphasized that the safest option is not to meet people from other households during the holidays.
As he explained, it would be logical for something like this to happen during the holidays, however, this must be done very carefully, with hygiene and protection measures for everyone.
“If we decide to meet, there are simple instructions for safer meetings,” he said, explaining: “If we have symptoms, of course we should refrain. It would be nice to wear a mask. It is understandable that it is not always possible to wear it, but we must protect the most vulnerable. “If we visit grandparents, the sick or other people who are in vulnerable groups, we should definitely wear a mask.” 
Breath of spring
Aris Katzourakis, professor of virology at Oxford, spoke about a very difficult winter and a better situation than spring.
“Unfortunately, winter will be very difficult.” It will take time for the epidemiological situation to allow the relaxation of measures and in Greece the data is still very bad, he explained in statements to ERT.
However, now there is a “visible end”, the professor characteristically said, adding that “we have to play defense” until with the help of the vaccine we can deal a severe blow to the pandemic.
As he explained, “as the population’s vaccination coverage increases and the serious effects of the disease and contagion decrease to a certain extent, -although we still do not know exactly to what extent this happens, but it will certainly reduce contagion to some extent. – society will return to normal. “
Some restrictions, like wearing a mask and avoiding crowds, will still be necessary in the summer, he was quick to add. “But under no circumstances will we experience all this as we do now.” 
The professor also referred to the different technologies on which the Oxford and Astra Zeneca vaccines and that of Pfizer / Biontech, which will be available in Greece on December 27, are based, noting that the latter is based on more modern technology.
As long as the protection provided by vaccines lasts, he explained that we don’t yet have an accurate picture. However, it is certain that the protection of the vaccine lasts for several months. “Now, if the vaccine can protect us for a whole year, we will find out along the way.”
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