Covid-19 hospitals still under pressure as admissions rate stabilizes, Papaevangelou says
Hospitals will remain under pressure for the next 2-3 weeks, infectious diseases professor Vana Papaevangelou said during Friday's regular briefing on the coronavirus pandemic in Greece, but new admissions are stabilizing to around 250 per day.
Most of the country has high infection rates, with several areas showing a current rate of 250 infected people per 100,000 of population, she said.
A total of 5,500 patients with Covid-19 are hospitalized at this point, while 824 are on ventilators. Throughout Greece, 86 pct of Covid-19-dedicated beds in ICUs are occupied, with the rate rising to over 90 pct in Athens and Thessaloniki.
One in 4 of those on ventilators is aged under 55, while most admissions to ICUs related to the 65-74 age group; older people appear to be now protected by vaccination, she reiterated.
The Health Ministry experts committee member also noted that even if hospital admissions drop, it will take longer to see a related drop in ICU admissions and deaths, as a patient remains in an ICU for 17 days on average.
