Pandemic death toll record could be beaten this month

With 2,405 deaths from Covid-19 by Friday, January 28, this month could well become the pandemic’s deadliest, surpassing December 2021’s 2,633 fatalities. It will certainly top the 2,432 deaths registered in December 2020, so far the second-most in a month since the pandemic hit Greece in March 2020.

Experts say the deaths are still mostly due to the Delta variant of the disease, but also warn that Omicron, while milder than Delta, is not exactly “mild,” especially for the unvaccinated elderly with a history of other serious, or underlying diseases.

“The high number of Omicron cases will affect the high number of vulnerable population segments, especially if they are unvaccinated, and will lead to losses. This is why the very strong recommendation for a third dose of vaccination remains,” Charalambos Gogos, professor of pathology at Patra University Medical School, told Kathimerini.