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A doctor, wearing a protective mask and protective suit, works in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where patients suffering from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are treated at the Bethune-Beuvry hospital in Beuvry, France, on October 16, 2020 REUTERS / Pascal Rossignol
The government has been put on alert after yesterday’s “explosion” of cases which reached 667. On Tuesday afternoon, Kyriakos Mitsotakis invited Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias to the Palace of the Maxims and held a meeting with the participation of Sotiris Tsiodas, Nikos de George Gerapetritis, Panagiotis Arkoumaneas and Grigoris Demitriadis, during which all the latest data were examined and action plans to deal with the pandemic were discussed.
Today, the members of the Committee of Experts of the Ministry of Health have a meeting to evaluate the Charter of Sanitary Security. As part of the evaluation and weekly data update for the 74 Regional Units of the country, it will be decided in which cases the level of risk should change depending on the extent of the cases and their characteristics.
According to information, in the next 24 hours in areas with a high epidemiological burden, measures such as the mandatory use of an outdoor mask are not ruled out, while considering a traffic ban from some time of the night. However, the closure of restaurants and entertainment stores before 12 pm is currently not being considered.
Yesterday, 667 new cases of the disease were announced, the highest number ever recorded, with Attica showing fragile stability at high levels in terms of the number of daily cases (250 yesterday) and areas mainly in northern Greece showing signs of rapid spread of the coronavirus and request stricter measures to limit the spread of the virus.
The main characteristic of the pandemic at this stage in our country is that it is now guided by the 18 to 39 age group. The mean age of active cases in Thessaloniki is 30 years and in Attica 33 years. The fact that the majority of diagnoses now affect young people who tend to be milder, is not a reason for complacency, since according to experts, it is likely that the exacerbation of cases will lead to an increase of 10-15 days and of patients who will need intubation, which means and more pressure on the NSS. It is observed that yesterday there were eight new deaths of patients with COVID-19, while 87 patients (mean age 66 years) were treated yesterday afternoon by intubation.
According to Deputy Minister of Civil Protection Nikos Hardalia, a particularly high epidemiological burden with an aggressive increase in cases and dispersed geographic outbreaks is recorded in Thessaloniki (alarm level 2 and 665 active cases), in Ioannina (level 3 and 263 active cases) and in Kasto (level). 3 and 124 cases). The three areas will be evaluated this afternoon by the special Committee of Epidemiologists for the Coronavirus Health Safety Charter. Boeotia and Serres have also been under intense epidemiological pressure over the past 24 hours. Mr. Hardalias called on the residents, especially in these areas and in the country in general, to be very careful in observing protection measures at this critical time for the evolution of the pandemic for our country.
