A record 9,284 cases of coronavirus completes a year of vaccinations today with Operation Freedom, the "main weapon" and "only means" as experts point out so that the five-digit number of new infections expected to be the daily rate of dispersion due to Omicron variant, to burden the health system as little as possible. Already, according to statements by Professor of Microbiology of the University of Athens, Mr. Athanasios Tsakris, in protothema.gr, the domestic spread of the variant is estimated at 70%.
"The past year is also characterized by sadness for our fellow human beings who perished because they did not catch or refused the offer of the vaccine", commented during today's regular briefing by the Ministry of Health, the Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics and President of the National Vaccination Committee, Mrs. Maria Theodoridou, on a hard numerical fact of the pandemic that affects the majority of the 15.943 deaths of patients with COVID-19 in 365 days, after the 66 announced earlier by the National Public Health Organization (EODY).
Caution, observance of measures, vaccinations and, especially after exposure to a high-risk environment for coronavirus infection, checking or even avoiding if possible meeting people over 60 years old and "certainly if they are unvaccinated", called on the Minister of Health, Mr. Thanos Plevris for the coming days, when announcing new measures to escape the risk of the impending prevalence of the Omicron variant, put less pressure on the health system and limit human casualties.
Measures: What changes from January 3
From January 3, 2022, the new package of restrictive measures announced by the Minister is activated, with an initial duration until the 16th of the month, partly because the pressure on hospitals is not a cause for concern, and partly to prevent domestic disputes on New Year's Day by "transferring entertainment and recreation to the enclosed spaces of homes", as he explained.
The new measures provide for:
mandatory use of high respiratory protection masks (KN95, FFP2) or double masks (surgical or cloth) in supermarkets, on public transport and by staff in catering establishments. (Recommendation for their use in places of confusion)
hours of operation until 00:00 (midnight) for entertainment and dining, no standing, with a maximum of six people per table and metric distances. In the event of a breach of the measure, a ban on music currently permitted
10% capacity with a maximum of 1,000 people at sports venues where non-compliance has been observed, with non-compliance "automatically" resulting in a closed-door event.
a mandatory 48-hour negative PCR (molecular testing) test for visiting elderly care facilities and care facilities for the chronically ill
stricter visiting conditions in nursing homes and a ban on medical visitors
teleworking up to 50% in the public and private sectors on a rolling schedule, based on the capacity of each service.
Young and productive age 3 out of 4 cases
Half of the current cases are found in Attica (4,038), with the centre of 1,264 new infections steadily surpassing the almost isopic Regional Unit (RO) of Thessaloniki (1.048 cases) and every region, with the exception of West Attica (125) and the Argosaronic Islands (32), recording a higher dispersion - at least double - than the most affected regions of the rest of the country, such as the regions of Achaia (231) and Heraklion (221).
The transmission of the virus in the younger and productive 18-59 year olds - mainly 18 to 30 - due to increased mobility is now reflected in the epidemiological data. As Plevris said, three out of four cases (75%) and one out of five (30%) are under 18 years of age. In contrast, only 6% of the spread involves adults aged 60 years and over.
Many are also younger on mechanical ventilatory support, with 55% of the 629 intubated patients currently in the 18-64 age group.
Although new patient admissions in the past 24 hours were under 300 (289) and Omicron's dominance is estimated to mean milder COVID-19 disease, "we should keep in mind that, due to the high increased infectivity of the strain, it can place a significant burden on health systems," Theodoridou pointed out, adding that the third dose is the main weapon in dealing with the variant.
According to Themistocleous' data, 4,365,000 citizens have carried out the booster dose (75.6% of beneficiaries), while 17,060,000 vaccinations have been carried out since the beginning of Operation Freedom, 7,415,000 have been vaccinated with the first dose (70.6%) and 7,000,000 have completed their vaccination (66.4%).
At the same time, developments are ongoing and more than 120,000 appointments for the 5-11 year old age group are now available on the platform for the month of January, following confirmation from Pfizer for deliveries of paediatric vaccines on 3 January.
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