Image scaling respiratory infections from seasonal viruses like flu writes the last National Public Health Organization report. Physician visits for patients with flu symptoms have decreased by less than 10% (of total visits) in the past week, with decreases across all age groups, and there has been a decrease in hospitalizations for respiratory infections. Cases of severe acute respiratory infection admitted to 11 major hospitals across the state were about 45 per 1,000 hospitalizations, compared to 80 per 1,000 hospitalizations in the second week of the year.

They were announced last week EODI 168 deaths from COVID-19, while the number of patients intubated at the end of the week was 153. In addition, there were two new severe cases of laboratory-confirmed influenza that required hospitalization in the intensive care unit, and two more deaths due to illness. In total, from the beginning of the seasonal influenza surveillance period this year (beginning of October 2022) until last Sunday, 55 influenza patients in the intensive care unit and 17 deaths were registered.

Omicron 5 dominates

Last week, 168 COVID-19 deaths were reported at EODY and 153 patients were intubated.

As for SARS-CoV-2, the BA.5 (Omicron 5) strain, which also covers the updated vaccine available in our country since autumn, is still the most commonly recognized Omicron strain in the US (isolated in 70g .). % of samples, versus 30% for Omicron 2). There is an upward trend in the number of cases of COVID-19 caused by sub-variant CH.1.1, which has also become known as “Orthro” and is a “candidate” for dominance in the near future. According to the SARS-CoV-2 National Genomic Surveillance Network, in the first week of the year, this subvariant accounted for 35% of Omicron 2 samples analyzed by the network, compared to 29% in the last week of 2022 and about 15% in the weeks leading up to that. .

Hospitals are under pressure

Large hospitals continue to choke at this time of year, according to ESY worker representatives, and after shifts show pictures of “war” against ranch patients in the corridors after shifts. As POEDIN President Michalis Yannakos noted, in the major hospitals of Attica and Thessaloniki, over the past few weeks, the number of patients admitted to the emergency department in each department exceeds 1,000 patients, and the wait can exceed 8 hours. “Lack of staff, doctors, nurses, paramedics and lack of primary care are causing incredible suffering as less than 200 out of 1,000 patients examined in the emergency department are hospitalized,” notes Mr. Yannakos. and adds: “The big hospitals in Attica are starting to operate with less than 100 empty beds, and the pulmonology and pathology clinics often run out of beds. In the interval between duty, the beds of discharged patients are occupied by patients located at the ranch.

Unlike the previous two years of the pandemic, the pressure does not come from COVID-19. The POEDIN figures are telling, according to which last year there were 4,694 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 as of January 25, and hospitals in general had 7,500 beds reserved for this disease. This year, as of January 24, 1,557 patients have been hospitalized due to the coronavirus, and 3,500 beds have been reserved. Accordingly, last year, as of January 24, 1,147 patients were hospitalized in intensive care, of which 624 were with COVID-19. The day before yesterday, 180 patients with coronavirus were in the intensive care unit.