Coronavirus: Vacations “transfer” cases from Attica to the regions – Areas with a surge

The wave of vacationers and holidaymakers of the season is shaping the epidemiological course of the coronavirus in our country. According to the data, the coronavirus is showing significant circulation across the entire territory, and cases are on an upward trend. The waning immunity of citizens and the intense crowding due to travel and events serve as fuel for the virus, which is spreading rapidly, leaving behind patients, both hospitalized and not.

According to the National Epidemiology Network, the coronavirus is beginning to decline in Attica but is rising in other regions of the country. From Crete (where Heraklion saw a 101% increase in viral load in wastewater) to Epirus (with Ioannina experiencing a 65% increase), and from Patras (where a 40% increase was recorded) to Thrace (with viral load levels in Xanthi and Alexandroupoli increasing by 62% and 17% respectively), the data reflect the mobility of the population and the virus.

This mobility is also confirmed by the “hard indicators.” Admissions and hospitalizations in regional hospitals, particularly in the major hospitals of tourist areas, are on the rise, while in Attica, they are decreasing compared to the previous period.

It is notable that yesterday, 55% of new admissions occurred in regional hospitals, with hospitals in Volos, Arta, Tripoli, and Thessaloniki receiving patients with severe COVID-19 infections. Of the 136 patients who needed hospitalization, 72 were admitted to hospitals outside of Attica.

In total, 600 patients were hospitalized yesterday. Most are in the Attica basin, but there is a significant upward trend in hospitalizations in the hospitals of Crete, Patras, Kalamata, and Ioannina.

The fact that the coronavirus surge began in Attica four to five weeks ago may explain why cases are now starting to decrease there, but population movement out of Attica also plays a role. Whether returning to hometowns and summer houses or vacationing elsewhere, citizens are leaving the basin with or without the coronavirus. Given that the current infection symptoms are very mild in many cases, it is easy to see how transmission can occur if someone is infected.

For this reason, experts remind us to test negative before visiting the elderly or vulnerable individuals and to use masks if contact cannot be avoided. Mild or asymptomatic infection in one person does not mean that someone else who gets infected will experience it in the same way.