One in four Greek highschool students vaccinated with at least first dose; decrease in new infections

Greece is starting to notice a decrease in new infections and a stabilisation of the pandemic, greatly owing to the self-testing and overall vaccination programme noted Greek Health Ministry official Vana Papaevangelou at Thursday’s regular live briefing.

Vana Papaevangelou, a children’s infectious diseases expert,  said that the last 15 days have seen these improvements but the  number of intubations and deaths still remains high among the unvaccinated.

Self-tests, she noted, help to detect 30% of new infections, and she added that the average age of all current infections is 35 years, with a steady increase in new cases over the age of 65. There is no increase in new cases in big cities, she added.

An increase in fresh infections is expected with the opening of schools next Monday, she noted. It is a positive sign, however, that 1 in 4 upper high school children has been vaccinated with one dose of a vaccine. Students and teachers who have not been vaccinated will be monitored with 2 tests per week, she said.

Newly appointed Deputy Health Minister Mina Gaga was also present at Thursday’s briefing, who urged all citizens to get inoculated.

READ: COVID-19: 2,170 New Cases In Greece On Thursday, 43 Deaths