On Tuesday, Greek Prime Minster Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the Thoracic Diseases General Hospital Sotiria, where he thanked the doctors and nurses who are fighting day and night, next to the patients, against the covid-19 pandemic.
“As the National Health System is under pressure and every day we open new, extra beds, we should all make one last big effort, to leave this upheaval behind us,” he said.
“What we are seeing now and we need to explain to the public is that the new strains of the virus – the mutations, the so-called British mutations – are making the virus more contagious.
“This explains the sharp increase in cases despite the fact that we have taken protection measures and we are essentially in a lockdown for a few weeks now.
“And fortunately we did, because if we had not done it things would have been much worse,” Mitsotakis added.
Από τη νέα Μονάδα Εντατικής του «Σωτηρία», που ξεκίνησε να λειτουργεί τον Οκτώβριο, θέλω να πω ένα μεγάλο ευχαριστώ σε όλους τους εργαζόμενους στο ΕΣΥ για τον αγώνα που δίνουν, νύχτα και μέρα, δίπλα στους ασθενείς. Μέχρι να χτίσουμε τείχος ανοσίας, ο ιός δεν επιτρέπει εφησυχασμό. pic.twitter.com/udylhbGVKe
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) March 2, 2021
He also pointed out that larger numbers of Greek citizens are willing to be vaccinated, as the vaccines’ safety is gradually better understood and accepted.
“We do not have a problem with vaccinations at the moment.
“In other words, our problem is the other way around, people want to be vaccinated, it is a great success that in all public opinion polls the percentage of our fellow citizens who want to be vaccinated is increasing.
“This is because they find that vaccines are safe and effective and I think they also have confidence in the state, which has launched this process with professionalism and respect for our fellow citizens who come to be vaccinated,” the Greek PM continued.
From April, the availability of vaccines will increase significantly, “so we can go much faster.”
On her part, ICU Head Maria Daganou noted that since October 26 when the new intensive care ward at Sotiria Hospital was opened, some 220 patients have been treated there.
Ο κόσμος θέλει να εμβολιαστεί. Αυτό γίνεται γιατί διαπιστώνουν ότι τα εμβόλια είναι ασφαλή και αποτελεσματικά. Και γιατί έχουν εμπιστοσύνη στην πολιτεία, η οποία έχει δρομολογήσει αυτήν την διαδικασία με επαγγελματισμό αλλά και με σεβασμό στους συμπολίτες μας. pic.twitter.com/pkb5rR9zVD
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) March 2, 2021
