COVID-19 pandemic in Greece

Confirmed COVID-19 Cases in the Provinces of Greece: 1–5 5–9 10–49 50–99 100–199 ≥200      
Illness:	COVID-19
Pathogen:	SARS-CoV-2
First case in:	Thessaloniki
Origin:	Milan , Italy Holy Land
Confirmed cases:	2952
Recovery:	1442
Deaths:	180

The COVID-19 pandemic occurs in Greece as part of the global COVID-19 pandemic . The first case became known on February 26, 2020, when a Greek woman who had returned from a trip from northern Italy, which was already affected, tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in Thessaloniki . Other non-Italian cases were discovered a week later in Patras , in a tour group that had returned from the Holy Land .

The first measures against the epidemic were taken on February 27th, when all carnival festivals in Greece were canceled. At the beginning, teaching was stopped at some schools, and from March 10th in all schools, universities and technical colleges. Strict exit restrictions will apply from March 23rd.

course

February

• The first case was confirmed on February 26th. A woman in Thessaloniki who recently visited northern Italy, which has already been affected. Her family has voluntarily quarantined .
• On February 27th, a positive virus test was confirmed in this woman's daughter. The teaching of her school was stopped. The third case was also confirmed, another woman, this time in Athens , who had also recently visited northern Italy. In addition, the health minister canceled the carnival festivals across the country.
• Another case was confirmed in Athens on February 28th. As a precaution, teaching was discontinued in eight schools in the wider area in and around Athens.
• On February 29, three more cases were confirmed, one in Thessaloniki and two in Athens.

March

• As of March 6, a total of 45 cases had been confirmed. Most of them had recently returned from the Holy Land with a tour group . The first diagnosis in this group was delayed by a few hours, despite warnings from the responsible health workers, because the Ministry of Health did not allow the examination. Among those who tested positive was a priest from the Greek Orthodox Church, who organized the trip. Schools, universities, theaters and cinemas have ceased to operate in the affected regions.
• On March 9, a case was also found on the island of Lesbos , where more than 25,000 refugees are in precarious conditions.
• There were 89 confirmed cases as of March 10, including Greek (shipping and media) entrepreneur Evangelos Marinakis , who also owns one of Greece's top football teams. The Minister of Health has stopped teaching at educational institutions across the country for two weeks.
• On March 12, there was the first fatality, a 66-year-old from the Holy Land tour group. From March 12th until March 14th, theaters, courts of law, cinemas and gyms, restaurants, cafes, clubs, shopping centers and other public space facilities ceased to operate. The main exceptions were grocery stores and pharmacies.
• On March 18, gatherings of more than 10 people were banned.
• Strict exit restrictions will apply from March 23rd. The main exceptions are people who work in vital areas (e.g. health workers, security personnel).

April

In April, villages were repeatedly quarantined. At the end of April, the first reports of easing measures came in.

statistics

general information

So far there have been 2952 people who have tested positive, of which 1442 have recovered and 180 have died.

The data for the development of the pandemic is collected daily by the Greek National Public Health Institution and summarized in the following graphs. The median age of death for the data up to June 4, 2020 was 77 years. 44.8% of the deaths were women.

Infections

World Health Organization figures

Confirmed infections (cumulative) in Greece over the course of the week
according to WHO data

National numbers

Confirmed positive test results (cumulative) in Greece

Confirmed new positive test results (daily) in Greece

1. ↑ ^{a b} The large number on April 21 is based on the publication of the results of several tests that were carried out in a refugee shelter

Deaths

World Health Organization figures

Confirmed deaths (cumulative) in Greece over the course of the week
according to WHO data

National numbers

Confirmed deaths (cumulative) in Greece

Confirmed New Deaths (Daily) in Greece

Political and economic measures

Activity restrictions

To contain the development of the pandemic, the government has gradually introduced measures to restrict freedom of movement. Almost all parties were more or less in agreement with these measures. On March 8, day centers for the elderly were closed, school trips and conferences were canceled, and sports and cultural activities could only take place without spectators. On March 9, all events with more than 1000 people and visits by sick people to dialysis and health day centers were prohibited. On March 16, the borders with Albania and North Macedonia were closed, with the exception of goods transport, as well as ship and air transport to Italy and Spain. The docking of cruise ships has been banned, and all travelers have to stay in quarantine for 14 days. Smaller, heavily affected areas also remained under quarantine. From March 18, the meeting of more than 10 people was punished with 1000 €. Strict exit restrictions will apply from March 23rd. The main exceptions are people who work in vital areas (e.g. health workers, security personnel). There is a general ban on gathering for more than 2 people. In addition, all people who move around in public spaces must have an identity card and a permit certificate with them. This certificate can be obtained unbureaucratically via SMS or the Internet and must be completed by the institution itself. The reasons can include a. Grocery shopping or medication, help from third parties, dogs walking, and bank visits are all indicated. Infringements will be punished with 150 €.

The Ministry of Tourism launched the Greece from home initiative . This should enable a virtual tour of the country.

effect

The comparatively successful containment of Covid-19 infections in Greece is the subject of international reporting, and the difference to the difficult situation in Italy was also an issue.

The head of the Corona Expert Commission of the Greek Ministry of Health, Sotiris Tsiodras , who played a key role in developing the strategy to contain the pandemic, reported daily on television about the course of the infection. Among other things, he recommends that everyone should behave towards their environment as if they were already infected. Tsiodras is attributed a significant share in the previous, relatively successful control of the pandemic compared to other European countries (as of April / May 2020).

Research in Greece

vaccination

As early as February 2, 2020, there was a report in newspapers about a relatively new vaccine technology that, although not yet tested on humans, appears harmless in terms of its development. With the help of this technology, according to the research group, an effective method of protection against the disease could be developed within a few weeks.

The technology combines the advantages of both types of active vaccination (live or dead vaccines). First, a silicon grid with an extremely fine structure is developed with the help of laser technology. Immune system cells of the vector (animal or person) are placed in this grid. These cells are activated with attenuated pathogens in vitro (outside the organism). The grid is then placed subcutaneously on the vector and could easily remain there for a few months. The aim of the research group is to use this technology against cancer as well.

According to the principal researcher, the pharmaceutical industry has little interest in this type of vaccination because it can hardly or not at all be used for profit. At the end of March / beginning of April 2020, the researcher applied for funding again, primarily to secure international patents for the method and to refine the method. At the beginning, the financing institution was cautious and accused the researcher of trying to exploit the situation to have her research financed, but afterwards began to examine the possibilities of the method.

See also

• List of epidemics and pandemics
• List of deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic

Web links

Commons : COVID-19 Pandemic in Greece  - Pictures, Videos and Audio Files Collection

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Νέος κορωνοϊός Covid-19 - Οδηγίες . Retrieved on 08/30/20.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Greece confirms first coronavirus case, a woman back from Milan . In: Reuters , February 26, 2020. Retrieved March 4, 2020. 
3. ↑ Κοροναϊός: Ένατο επιβεβαιωμένο κρούσμα στην Πάτρα . Retrieved March 4, 2020.
4. ↑ ^{a b c} Οδηγίες προς τους Πολίτες . Retrieved March 22, 2020.
5. ↑ Κορωνοϊός: Δεύτερο θετικό κρούσμα στην Ελλάδα -Το παιδί της 38χρονης . February 27, 2020.
6. ↑ Greece reports two new coronavirus cases, cancels carnival . In: Reuters , February 27, 2020. 
7. ↑ 4 confirmed coronavirus cases in Greece and 8 schools closed in Attica . February 28, 2020. 
8. ↑ Ανεβαίνει ο αριθμός: Επτά τα κρούσματα του κοροναϊού στην Ελλάδα . February 29, 2020.
9. ↑ ^{a b} Κορονοϊός: 14 ακόμα κρούσματα στην Ελλάδα! . March 6, 2020.
10. ↑ Η λάθος εκτίμηση του ΕΟΔΥ ξεκίνησε το ντόμινο του κορονοϊού . March 6, 2020.
11. ↑ Και τώρα τα πληρώνουμε λάθη μας ... . March 6, 2020.
12. ^ First coronavirus case on Greek island filled with migrants . March 9, 2020. 
13. ↑ Olympiacos: Vangelis Marinakis diagnosed with coronavirus . March 10, 2020. 
14. ↑ Κορωνοϊός: Κλείνουν όλα τα σχολεία και τα πανεπιστήμια της χώρας . March 10, 2020. 
15. ↑ Ανακοίνωση του πρώτου θανάτου από τον SARS-CoV-2 . March 12, 2020. 
16. ↑ Εκτακτα μέτρα: Κλείνουν κινηματογράφοι, θέατρα και κέντρα διασκέδασης . March 12, 2020.
17. ↑ Malls, cafes, bars, eateries to close as coronavirus cases rise to 190 . March 13, 2020.
18. ↑ Κορονοϊός: Κλείνουν παραλίες και χιονοδρομικά με εντολή Μητσοτάκη . March 14, 2020.
19. ↑ ^{a b} Greece bans gatherings of 10 people and more, effective Thursday . In: Reuters , March 19, 2020. 
20. ↑ ^{a b} Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) situation reports; Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) situation reports. WHO, accessed on August 12, 2020 . 
21. ↑ ^{a b} Cases reported to WHO by national authorities are listed here. Since the situation is very dynamic, there may be discrepancies or delays between the cases of the WHO and the data of national authorities as well as the information provided by other bodies, such as the Johns Hopkins University (CSSE). The reporting period is set out in the respective WHO report above and in most cases is set from 10 a.m. on the previous day to 10 a.m. on the reporting day CET .
22. ↑ As of August 16, 2020, the daily announcement of the numbers was changed to a weekly rhythm. The numbers of the first weekly report ( August 17, 2020 , pdf) are identical to those of the WHO report No. 209 (August 16, 2020, pdf) and are also based on the status of August 16, 2020 at 10 a.m. after the report itself is shown . They can therefore be continued seamlessly from the second weekly report ( August 24, 2020 , pdf), as this was announced accordingly at 10 a.m. on August 23, 2020. In order not to make this too confusing, the date of the publication (August 24th) is not used here for the database (August 23rd).
23. ↑ ^{a b} 150 people test positive for Covid-19 at Kranidi refugee facility ( en )
24. ↑ Κοροναϊός: 73 κρούσματα - Κεκλεισμένων των θυρών οι αθλητικές εκδηλώσεις . Retrieved March 8, 2020.
25. ↑ iEidiseis: Κορονοϊός στην Ελλάδα: Ανακοινώθηκαν νέα μέτρα - «Μείνετε σπίτι σας» το μήνυμα Κικίλια . Retrieved March 25, 2020.
26. ↑ Εκτακτα μέτρα - Κορονοϊός: Κλείνουν τα σύνορα με Αλβανία και Β. Μακεδονία - Παρέμβαση Μητσοτάκη για τις εκκλησίες . Retrieved March 16, 2020.
27. ↑ Κορονοϊός: Κλείνουν τα εμπορικά καταστήματα - Σε καραντίνα όσοι έρχονται από εξωτερικό . Retrieved March 16, 2020.
28. ↑ Κοροναϊός: Οι κάτοικοι των χωριών Δαμασκηνιά και Δραγασιά μιλούν για την καραντίνα τους . Retrieved March 18, 2020.
29. ↑ world's virus crisis fighters can learn from greek tales of woe. April 2, 2020, accessed on April 13, 2020 . 
30. ↑ How Greece flattened the coronavirus curve. April 7, 2020, accessed on April 13, 2020 . 
31. ^ How Greece managed to flatten the curve. April 7, 2020, accessed on April 13, 2020 . 
32. ↑ Gerd Höhler ,: Coronavirus: The Hour of Sotiris Tsiodras. In: zeit.de. April 22, 2020, accessed May 3, 2020 . 
33. ↑ Michael Martens: Pathologist Sotiris Tsiodras: A doctor for all Greeks. In: faz.net. May 2, 2020, accessed May 3, 2020 . 
34. ↑ Μπορούμε να βοηθήσουμε να αντιμετωπιστεί πιο άμεσα η εξάπλωση του κοροναϊού . Retrieved April 2, 2020.
35. ↑ Implantable vaccine development using in vitro antigen-pulsed macrophages absorbed on laser micro-structured Si scaffolds . Retrieved April 2, 2020.
36. ↑ Σούσουρο για κρητικό εμβόλιο . Retrieved April 2, 2020.