Nikos Kapravelos, who is the head of the ICUs at the George Papanikolaou General Hospital of Thessaloniki, says he fears Greece could be hit with a third wave in 2021. According to Kapravelos, the ICUs are full.
Kapravelos told Skai TV on Sunday, “the situation has become desperate.” According to Kathimerini, it just so happened that the Development and Investments Minister Adonis Georgiadis was visiting the hospital at the time of Kapreavelos’ statements. He was quoted saying:
“When Mr. Georgiadis opens up the economy because you can’t do anything else, we won’t stop breathing, I’m afraid that the next wave [of the pandemic] will come in January or February.”
According to the officials, people of all ages are now affected by the COVID-19 virus. The second wave of the pandemic has stretched the national health system to its limits, with hospital beds having filled up quickly. A third-wave will certainly overtax the already stressed healthcare system in Greece. The best hope, according to many experts, is the early and effective release of a vaccine.
As of yesterday, EODY epidemiological surveillance report showed 2,152 new cases of COVID-19 in the country. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told EU lawmakers on Wednesday that “the first European citizens might already be vaccinated before the end of December.”