Covid-19: Not out of the woods yet
Alternate Health Minister Mina Gaga conveyed the message on Monday that the coronavirus pandemic has not gone away and that people must remain vigilant.
“We have to learn to live with this new reality. We have to be careful and stick to the measures,” she said. At the same time, a leading health expert predicted the number of daily Covid-19 cases in Greece could reach 30,000 by the end of March.
Speaking on Skai Radio, Nikos Tzanakis, pulmonology professor and vice president of the Greek Pulmonary Society, estimated that the number of deaths and intubations due to coronavirus-related causes will remain mostly stabilized.
Tzanakis stressed the importance of vaccination in protecting against serious illness from Covid-19, adding however that people who were inoculated months previously were as likely to contract the virus as the unvaccinated population.
“Most of them however will be asymptomatic or experience a sore throat,” he said.
Asked about the prospect of a second booster shot, Tzanakis said that it should be considered for people suffering from chronic health issues such as respiratory system diseases, chronic kidney disease and heart failure. Authorities may have to examine the possibility of administering a fourth shot to people aged over 75, he added.
