At least 40 people, elderly and personnel, have been tested positive to Covid-19 at a care home in downtown Athens in the last few hours setting health authorities on alert and enforcing a 10-day lockdown of the facility.
Ambulances were seen on Thursday morning transferring elderly to various coronavirus designated hospitals in the Greek capital. 18 people have been hospitalized so far, another 18 are awaiting trasnfer during the day.
It is not clear how many elderly have been tested positive, however, many of them have also underlying health problems.
Until October 9, nobody is allowed to exit the facility except the staff and suppliers are not allowed to enter.
The nursing home in Agios Panteleimonas district of Athens hosts 85 elderly, while 13 people work there, ANT1 TV reported.
Four members of the staff are reportedly in quarantine.
Last time, personnel was tested was in August, media reported.
Head of the National Public Health Organization (EODY), Panagiotis Arkoumaneas, told Skai TV in the morning that some of the staff have been contaminated since two weeks.
There are fears that the cases may exceed 45.
Health authorities have not identified yet the Patient Zero, who brought the virus to the home, contaminating elderly and staff. they are currently conducting investigation and tracking, and check whether the health protocols were kept. Worth noting that relatives’ visits to nursing homes are not permitted since months.
Over 20 elderly died in August after outbreak of coronavirus in two nursing homes in Thessaloniki.
The country’s top epidemiologist, professor for infectious diseases,, Sotiris Tsiodras, who visited the facility together with head of Civil Protection , Nikos Hardalias, on Wednesday evening, sounded alarm about the number of cases in the Greek capital.
“Things are not going well in Athens,,” Tsiodras said officially confirming the EODY reports in the last 10 days.
Meanwhile, one more Covid-19 patient died early Thursday, raising the death toll to 392.
More information on coronavirus in Greece here.
