Ministry dismisses reports of coronavirus outbreak in armed forces

The Defense Ministry on Wednesday dismissed reports pointing to a coronavirus outbreak in the armed forces that came in the wake of an announcement that 11 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed at a military hospital.

In an announcement following the regular afternoon update by the government on the evolution of the pandemic, the ministry said that only one of the 11 confirmed cases of Covid-19 related to a military officer in active duty.

The other 10 confirmed cases, it said, were three civilians entitled to treatment at the military hospital, a retired police officer, two of his relatives, as well as three nurses and a visitor to the specific ward where all 10 cases were located.

Health Ministry adviser Sotiris Tsiodras on Wednesday said that the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases rose in the 24-hour period from the last update by 21 new cases, bringing the nationwide total to 2,663.