Minister of Health: "Tourists leave in October "freedom" will end"

Health Minister Thanos Plevris said that with the end of the tourist season, new coronavirus vaccines will arrive in Greece and measures will be introduced to help reduce the spread of coronavirus.

Greek health authorities announced on Tuesday 9 August 122 230 confirmed cases of coronavirus for the week of 25 to 31 July 2022. In the same time period, 355 Covid patients have died, according to a weekly report from the National Public Health Organization (EODY).

Thanos Pleuris said that the new vaccines will be delivered in two phases before the end of the year and will arrive in Greece in October. Updated vaccines for the Omicron strain are expected first, and then even more updated vaccines for sub-options 4 and 5. According to the minister, pharmaceutical companies have submitted their proposals, approval procedures have already been developed, and “we hope to receive them from October.”

Pleuris noted, however, that those currently at risk should not wait, and therefore there is a recommendation for people over 60 and vulnerable populations to proceed with the fourth dose.

On the possibility of introducing new measures from autumn, he said that the desire is not to have “mandatory type measures”, but to recommend the use of masks where there are many people and indoors.

“It is not in our will to return to restrictive measures,” he added. “Our plans do not include either mandatory or restrictive measures.”

With regard to schools, the Minister of Health said that the educational protocol will be drawn up in agreement with the Ministry of Education, immediately before the return of students to schools and depending on the epidemiological picture in the country.

Since neither the government nor the Ministry of Health plans to strengthen the national health system, Minister Plevris said meetings are being held with private clinics to allocate simple beds to treat Covid cases. He added that the latest wave of the pandemic showed that the problems are not with places in intensive care units, but with ordinary places in hospitals, and therefore the model according to which all Covid-19 hospitalizations are carried out in the state system may change.

The number of intubated Covid patients is 138.

The total number of confirmed cases of infection since the beginning of the pandemic is 4,474,616, of which 52.18% are women.

• 125,193 cases (daily average: 17,884, weekly change 11%, reinfection 20%).
• 378 deaths (54 per day), an increase of 29%
• 138 intubated (up 4.5%)
• 2558 hospitalizations (average 365 per day)
• Significant decrease in PCR/RAPID tests.

PS It is noteworthy that, according to experts from the Ministry of Health, most of the sick and dead – this is repeatedly vaccinated persons. Literally yesterday, my colleague fell ill, having made a 4th booster vaccination a month ago. While there are disagreements among Greek medical professionals, Ministry of Health officials maintain that “without 4 doses, the chance of getting sick is 4 times higher”.

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