Against the backdrop of yesterday’s announcement by the Greek Prime Minister on the mandatory vaccination of the 60+ age group, the number of vaccination appointments has tripled.
As of 7:00 pm on Tuesday, November 30, 6,000 applications were made by persons over 60, although in the last 10 days this figure did not exceed 2,600 per day.
Shortly before the “bomb” from the prime minister went off at a cabinet meeting, he was still studying the latest data, trying to find the most effective solution. The verdict of the government, which decided to follow in the footsteps Austria, came as a surprise to many and, experts say, may have significant political costs for Mitsotakis and his government.
A few hours after the announcement of the unpopular decision, the prime minister himself seems to have justified himself, since the appointments for the first dose among those over 60 tripled. Undoubtedly, such a leap may turn out to be a temporary phenomenon. Nevertheless, experts working with statistics speak of its indicative value.
All over the world, governments urge elderly citizens not to play with danger, weigh the pros and cons, and make a decision that is important not only for themselves, but for the whole society.
Based on the latest vaccination data, the government has decided to put more pressure on the hesitant. Until yesterday, it was mandatory only for medical workers, and refusal to vaccinate was accompanied by suspension from work. That is, the obligation was accompanied by sanctions.
For unvaccinated people 60+, the sanctions will be fines, which, according to government circles, no one can avoid: “It’s not like a traffic inspector writes out a receipt and you throw it away. This is a fine confirmed by AADE. “
In many ways, the government’s decision was influenced by the indicators on coronavirus and vaccination in two other European countries, similar in terms of the population of Greece, and their comparison with the data for our country:
the vaccination rate for people over 60 years old is: in Portugal 96%, in Denmark 99.1%, in Greece 83%; in Denmark and Portugal, mortality and pressure on the health care system are 10 times lower than in Greece; in Greece, 9 out of 10 coronavirus deaths affect 60+ citizens. Among intubated patients, 7 out of 10 are over 60 years old, and 8 out of 10 are not vaccinated.
In the meantime, as our publication previously reported, hospitals in Thessaloniki report daily a shortage of beds in intensive care units and a large number of intubated patients in regular wards. Taking advantage of the anxiety of patients and their relatives, some individuals suggested drugs against Covid-19 or even monoclonic antibodies. The prosecutor in Thessaloniki is investigating incidents when unknowns suggest for relatives of patients hospitalized with Covid-19, a bed in the intensive care unit at a price of 3500 euros or more.
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