The intention of the government is to prevent situations like lockdowns, activity and traffic restrictions from happening again this fall and winter. That’s what Health Minister Thanos Pleris said yesterday, noting that for schools the logic would be to get the softest restrictions possible. However, he clarified that discussions with the Ministry of Education and solution experts would take place over the next few days.

In particular, the Minister of Health stated (Sky) that there was an intense wave of the pandemic in the summer, which, however, did not lead to heavy hospitalizations. Intubated patients, he added, did not exceed 130, meaning the situation in the NHS was completely manageable, but with a lot of pressure on regular beds. The Minister noted that we are in a de-escalation of this wave, and for September, planning foresees the development of layers, but without limiting operations in cooperation with the private sector.

“We believe that we will not need to take action, but in the event that it is necessary, any planning will be in an absolute soft degree,” the minister stressed. Regarding the use of the mask, he said that if it needed to be extended to certain areas during the winter months, that would be considered. Mr. Pleuris noted that the goal is to limit the obligation of the mask, while at the same time there are places where its use will be recommended. “We are moving into a new culture where we are going to introduce protection measures,” he said. Experts say that in Europe and the US, the goal is for schools to operate without mandatory measures, and adaptive steps will be taken if there is a serious deterioration.

At the same time, “tough” pandemic indicators persist, as demonstrated by the weekly epidemiological bulletin EODY (August 15-21). This week, 258 COVID-19 patients die (25 per million population, -11% weekly change), bringing the number of deaths since the start of the pandemic to 32,335. The cases were 55,769, with 491,401 tests and a positivity of 11.35%. 132 patients were hospitalized with intubation, while national admission in the specific period was 1527 and ranks up to 1474.

Intervention on the possible course of the coronavirus in the fall and the role that EoOdy apparently also played yesterday and the role that the Centaur also seemed to react to opinions about the given prevalence of the Centaur. “The upcoming wave is likely to occur during the autumn period in winter winds, but the data available to date does not provide documentation that this will happen with certainty,” notes Eodi.

As for the new updated vaccine, it will – as it seems – cover the new “centaur” sub-variant.

The agency has indicated that a new wave is possible as the infectivity of the virus increases as a result of climatic parameters (for example, during autumn and winter, the infectivity of the coronavirus increases significantly due to the fact that we spend more time indoors), the emergence of new mutant strains of the virus, i.e. the ability of the virus to infect people with immunity and other parameters such as, for example, whether the virus affects the upper respiratory tract and therefore is easier to transmit, etc. At the same time, immunity in the population depends on the level of vaccination coverage, the length of time that has elapsed since vaccination, the type of vaccine and the strains it includes.

In fact, as regards the “Centaur” subvarnar. There is no indication that he can prevail against BA.5. This means that the possibility of dominance in areas such as our country, where BA.5 exists in large percentages, is not a given.”

Eodi also notes that “the high rates of hybrid immunity in the population and the high intensity of the recent wave with BA.5 airborne make the course of coronavirus in the near future not entirely predictable. It is almost certain that the protection afforded us by the vaccine against serious diseases is significant, and that the coronavirus, although it continues to circulate among us, unless something drastically changes in the properties of the virus, causes a smaller percentage of serious disease in relation to the past ” . And he concludes by emphasizing that “keeping up with protective measures, vaccinating, early diagnosis and in any case not cultivating panic is our weapon to fight the ‘coronavirus’.”

As for the new updated vaccine, it will – as it seems – cover the new “centaur” sub-variant. Expected in the fall, and then updated instructions for its use will be given.