New Covid cases still above 2,000; ICUs under rising pressure

Covid-19 fatalities and new infections were down from Wednesday but still in worrying territory on Thursday, as tougher restrictions went into force in most parts of the country.

In its daily public bulletin, the National Organization for Public Health (EODY) reported 2,219 new infections and 35 deaths, from Wednesday’s 2,702 cases and 40 fatalities.

The need for stricter measures, however, was reflected in the number of intubated Covid-19 patients, which rose on Thursday to 449 from 431 the day before that, marking a record for 2021 and indicating the mounting pressure on the country’s public health system.

Hospital admissions of Covid cases were more or less the same, with 393 on Thursday from Wednesday’s 394.

In terms of geographical distribution, the greater Athens area – which is among those that woke up to stricter restrictions on Thursday morning –accounted for 1,051 of the day’s new cases. Central Athens, which is also very heavily populated, accounted for 254 of those cases and the port city of Piraeus for 195.

Authorities are also keeping a close eye on the northern port city of Thessaloniki, which reported 257 new cases on Thursday, and on the northwestern Peloponnese region of Achaia, which remains in the red with 102 new cases.