Confirmed coronavirus infections in Greece neared the 1,000-mark on Friday, with 28 related deaths reported. The number of new cases increased by 74 from a day earlier. Sixty-six people are in critical condition, 65 of which are being treated in ICUs.
As with previous reports, the vast majority of Covid-19-infections affect men (86 percent) with underlying health conditions.
On a positive note, 52 people have been treated and released from hospitals after fully recuperating, 10 more than Thursday.
According to the government’s coordinator for the coronavirus pandemic, Prof. Sotiris Tsiodras, the coming week is deemed as extremely crucial in controlling the outbreak in the east Mediterranean country. He called for a strict adherence to restrictions against the non-essential movement in public.
In commenting on an ongoing, but still secondary debate on the need for widespread Covid-19 testing in the country, Tsiodras said only molecular tests are, at present, credible, with antibody tests not recommended at this point of the epidemic’s curve.
The Greek government has relied mostly on restrictions of non-essential movement and quarantines to contain the outbreak, with tests conducted small by comparison to other European countries, both percentage wise and in absolute numbers. Nevertheless, both confirmed infections, fatalities and the day-to-day increase in infections remain lower in Greece than other countries, such as Italy and Spain.
