Kapravelos: 7th wave of coronavirus will start from northern Greece

Nikos Kapravelos, head of the 2nd Intensive Care Unit at Papanicolaou Hospital, spoke to MEGA about the alarming rise in the number of coronavirus cases.

Mr Capravelos spoke about the outbreak of coronavirus cases as well as re-infections. “We already felt ‘freer’, but the pandemic is not over, the facts are inexorable. I looked at the numbers and saw that 400 people died last July and more than 1,000 this year. According to statistics for 2020, the monthly death rate did not exceed 500 people. In 2021, the figure jumped to 1,300, and in 2022, the average death toll exceeded 1,300. The pandemic has not ended either in Greece or in the whole world,” he said.

Regarding the increase in mortality, Mr. Capravelos said: “It is due to the extreme degree of relaxation. And this is observed everywhere: no one observes elementary protective measures, there are no masks anywhere, people are crowding, we see that a very small percentage of older people have taken the 4th dose. Vaccinations are not a panacea, after some time immunity is lost. So far, we do not have a “tsunami” of arrivals in hospitals, but a trend towards an increase in hospitalizations is already outlined.”

“I am afraid of autumn when schools open and we will be indoors for a long time. In addition, autumn weather favors the coronavirus. I fear a new 7th wave that will burden the National Health Service and could lead to its collapse. We cannot rely only on the positive scenario, we must also focus on the other side because we have already been “burned”. The outbreak will start from the north of Greece. Both the ministry and the citizens must be prepared for this until we finally end the pandemic,” he added.

“For our safety, we need to return the masks, get vaccinated to tame this virus (…). The loss of human lives must be prevented, ”concluded the physician, speaking of the “total abolition of measures”, as well as the possibility of their return this fall.

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