Government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou said on Monday that new measures for unvaccinated citizens are underway. On the background of the increasing coronavirus infections and extraordinary meetings of government ministers with health experts in an effort to find solutions to the problem, Oikonomou that the new measures will mostly affect the unvaccinated.
At the briefing on Monday, Oikonomou stressed “we have pointed out in all possible ways that we are not yet done with COVID-19. As long as there are people who have not been vaccinated, the virus finds fertile ground to spread.”
He added “it is scientifically proven that the risk of transmission depends upon the extent of vaccination coverage in an area. The more the virus finds fertile ground, the greater the number of infections, hospitalizations and, unfortunately, of human losses. The risk of infection becomes even higher in the winter. For all the above reasons, the need to extend vaccination coverage further on a national level is even more urgent.”
To a question by cnngreece, the government spokesman signaled that the new adjustments to the existing measures will basically apply to unvaccinated citizens and made reference to the current discussions between the Health Ministry and the country’s epidemiologists..
“If anything is going to change or adapt, which I repeat, it will basically be about our unvaccinated fellow citizens, possibly some increased diagnostics for their accessibility in mixed spaces, or in any case any adjustments decided will be announced in due course.”
The government spokesman reiterated that there will be no horizontal lockdown as imposed over long periods of time since March 2020. He stressed that Greece’s society, the economy and education must not and will not return to a state of lockdown..
“The state has done everything possible in order for life to return to normal. The refusal to vaccinate is an act that is potentially suicidal for the people who refuse to protect themselves and at the same time are socially damaging and irresponsible,” Economou said.
Regarding the epidemic situation in northern Greece and the pressure on the public health system, the gov’t spokesman announced that the health ministry has already reached agreements with five private clinics in Thessaloniki, Volos and Larissa for ICU beds to treat both COVID and non-COVID patients.
According to state broadcaster ERT on Monday, hospitals in eastern Macedonia and Thrace are under immense pressure with Covid-ICU capacity to be 100% in Xanthis and Kavala and 80% in Komotini. “In Drama the situation is really dramatic as there is no ICU-section for Covid-patients,” the reporter said.
Last Saturday, daily coronavirus infections in Greece reached an all time record, Monday afternoon media claim that the infections today will be equally high. and that a second emergency meeting is being held at the PM’s office.
PS All meetings will result into more Covid-tests for unvaccinated? I don’t think so… or it’s usual Greek recipe: Much Ado About A Bit.
I think that also the vaccinated must do there job to stop the spreading of Covid-19. I see around me that the vaccinated are gathering like there is NO Covid-19.
I like to see the numbers of infected persons that are vaccinated. And even more in the context of when they have been vaccinated. The longer back the vaccination is done, the less the vaccine is protecting. (Words of Pfizer in there own statements last September)
At the moment it are NOT ONLY the unvaccinated that are spreading around. ALSO the vaccinated.
We all have to take care of each other. Distance, face masks and cleaning gel.
Stay save together, not divide the people.
The COVID cases will increase during November and I think that it is the result of not taking the measures seriously. The fact that the unvaccinated people are still on a high number is an important but not the only one factor which can affect the control of the pandemic.
It’s very obvious that vaccinated people spread COVID. Vaccination does not prevent transmission (and also, it appears their effectiveness wanes over time), therefore there is no epidemiological reason for these measures.
If people are into “following the science” they should abide by it: following the science means acknowledging that, in addition to being unethical, banning unvaccinated people from certain spaces makes no sense. We have more cases than ever even though half the population is vaccinated, and that should hint that the shot has little impact on transmission. These officials are full of shit. Call them out on it.
I would like to also point out: why are officials acting like we can get rid of COVID? It is on its way towards becoming endemic, especially if vaccines are not sterile and do not protect against infection. Sweden and Romania, furthermore, are countries with similar populations as Greece, yet had fewer COVID deaths than Greece without locking down. It’s time journalists, and everyone, start asking why Greece wasted eight months of our lives for what appears to be no reason.
This is a waste of everyone’s time and quite frankly, sanity. Saying that unvaccinated people should have less rights is unhinged and it will get worse if we don’t call it out for the vile behavior it is. Stop treating the people you share society with like they are vectors of disease.
Well said.
A very sensible comment. I spent all last winter in Greece, and I was appalled at the stupidity of the authorities and the thugs dressed as policemen enforcing mask wearing even outside on the seafront.
Anyone that thinks vaccinated people can’t spread Covid19 really needs to check information from the non propaganda websites. Vaccinated can catch and pass on covid like unvaccinated. The sooner the Greek Government tells the truth the better. Life needs to go on. Thanks to China we are being led by morons who use modelling to predict while COP26 shows the elite running around.
Your post is highly inaccurate and dangerously misleading. No control measure, short of total isolation, stops the spread of the virus but vaccination massively reduces it. One epidemiological study shows that people who are vaccinated but who catch the virus are 63 % less likely to pass it on than those who are not vaccinated and that included the Delta varaint. In addition the majority of people who are vaccinated do not catch the virus so they cannot pass it on. When you combine these two effects one study in Israel showed that vaccinated people were 89 % overall less likely to spread the virus but that was done at the time the Alpha variant was dominant. A new study, which will take into account the Delta variant, is in progress but has not reported yet. It will certainly show a reduction in spread that is lower than 89 % but higher than 63 %, which is why I have tended to quote a figure of 75 %.
One in vitro study reported that vaccinated people had the same viral load as people who are not vaccinated and concluded that they were just as likely to pass it on BUT but that study has been demonstrated to be flawed. It used Ct as a proxy for viral load but Ct does not distinguish between active viable viruses and non-viable viral RNA remnants. A subsequent study has shown that the active viable viral load is much lower in vaccinated people than unvaccinated consistent with the reduced spread reported by the epidemiological study.
It is entirely logical, therefore, that people who are not vaccinated need to take more alternative measures to reduce their spread of the virus than those who are vaccinated.
Your reporting still belies the fact that this vaxx does not stop people from transmitting this virus. If I get the polio/measles vaxx I will not get the virus nor spread it.
It also proves that locking down does nothing to help the situation out.
Nothing stops it! Lots of things reduce the rate of spread. The best we can do is combine things that reduce the spread enough to stop accelerated infection rate, i.e. R<1. Vaccination is one thing and no other single measure has a bigger effect so it is the most important measure to take. It is a very low cost option with no other negative economic impact.
Mask wearing also reduces the spread BUT ONLY if everybody wears one in ALL crowded environments. If half the people wear one and half don't it is pretty useless. It is another measure which is cheap and has no other negative economic impact so should be followed by everybody.
Closing environments where the virus is most likely to spread is another effective measure BUT it has major negative economic impacts so is sub-optimal. When you reach the point where your healthcare system is going to collapse it may be the only option unless you are prepared to accept an increasing death rate.
Re masks. Studies have shown that masks, in an everyday situation do NOT reduce the spread of any virus. Further, empirical evidence shows that, in EVERY country/state (of USA) where mask-wearing has been mandated, so-called cases have risen.
Closing environments/lockdowns. Wherever they have been imposed, even in draconian measures like Australia/New Zealand, the virus has subsequently spread.
Healthcare system collapsing. The whole point of a healthcare system is to look after the sick, not, like in the UK, be closed down to let people die.
Vaccination. ALL of the evidence, admitted by CDC/other health authorities, show that the vaccine is ineffective. The most vaccinated country per head is Israel. You will know that there are STILL a large number of so-called cases. Talking of which, Kary Mullis stated that the PCR was not meant for finding viruses in an everyday situation.
Also, if you have followed official reports/studies, NOT what has been fed via the MSM, you will find that, “According to the latest immunological studies, the overall infection fatality rate (IFR) of covid in the general population is about 0.1% to 0.5% in most countries, which is most closely comparable to the medium influenza pandemics of 1936, 1957 and 1968.” This was known, in March 2020 after studying the Diamond Princess.
A new study came out in the Lancet recently which says that vaccinated spread carry and have similar viral loads of delta to unvaccinated.
There is growing evidence that vaccinated are super spreaders due to the fact that they are less likely to be symptomatic than non jabbed and so rather than stay home when infectious they go about their daily lives unaware that they may be spreading virus.
Furthermore a study in the European Journal of Epidemiology sated that there appears to be no discernable relationship between percentage of population fully vaccinated and new COVID-19 cases. In fact, the trend line suggests a marginally positive association such that countries with higher percentage of population fully vaccinated have higher COVID-19 cases per 1 million people.
And lastly the UK HFSA has bowed to pressure and removed it’s chart showing higher positivity rates in vaccinated – as effectiveness hits new low of – 132
In the UK as in other countries most people in ICU are double jabbed.
Whatever people’s beliefs history has shown that segregation is never a good idea. Governments are deliberately pitting citizens against one another. Divide and rule !
Strongly disagree with comment on Romania. Cases there are rife as they are in Bulgaria.
I myself had both vaccinations, my daughter and her husband had both vaccinations too, my son-in-law contracted COVID-19 at the beginning of September, then my daughter and myself caught it too so it proves that having the vaccinations does not prevent anyone from getting the virus. In effect the Greek government will not stop the virus by segregating people just the same as lockdowns don’t work either. If everyone wore face masks unless they was exempt because of respiratory problems the virus may not go around as fast as it is doing at the minute.
“…so it proves that having the vaccinations does not prevent anyone from getting the virus.”
Untrue. It proves that it does not stop everyone from catching it. People are less likely to catch it if they are vaccinated but some still do.