As of 6pm, local time, Athens:
# of confirmed cases: 530 (35 new cases since yesterday)
In the illustration, a spiked coronavirus germ is hurling towards a person holding a giant shield with Jesus on the front of it.
The newspaper Orthodox Press (below) wonders, in horror, "Is our church being ruled over by the State?"
That's all for now...
# of confirmed cases: 530 (35 new cases since yesterday)
#
of deaths: 13
#
of people in hospital:100
#
of people tested: 8,000
Day
13 of staying home
***
In
today’s 6pm live press briefing Health Ministry spokesman Sotiris Tsiodras and
Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias made more announcements. Some
are summarized below:
Today Tsiodras began with appeals for the importance of following the strict measures. His dress shirt was unbuttoned at the top, he was not wearing his usual tie today.
Today Tsiodras began with appeals for the importance of following the strict measures. His dress shirt was unbuttoned at the top, he was not wearing his usual tie today.
At one point, he
mentioned that an esteemed colleague of his, wrote to him and said that too much
of a fuss is being made about a few elderly people, those with underlying
health issues, incapacitated by age.
Tsiodroas looked
down and read his notes, saying “my internal response to this, and I leave it
up to your judgement, is that the miracle of modern medicine in 2020 is to prolong
the quality of life for these individuals…” and here he paused, as his quiet voice
cracked, “…these individuals – our mothers, our fathers, grandmothers,
grandfathers…” again he paused to control his emotions, "...our job is to protect
everyone, especially these individuals, we cannot exist…” he looked down, his arms
leaning on either side of the notes on the desk in front of him, his hands clenched, voice
cracked, ”…we cannot exist or have an identity without them.”
He went on to say
that people should understand that we are all vulnerable to this new virus. That
we’ve gained time, but we must all be responsible, it is in our hands to ensure
the best possible outcome for this crisis.
He called for the
media to respect the dead, respect the families who have lost loved ones, and warned
of sensationalist reporting.
Deputy Civil Protection
Minister Nikos Hardalias continued the briefing, reiterating that he wants to
convey a realistic picture of the situation. He warned that our current
statistics resemble the statistics in Italy when the virus first hit there. The
goal is to act responsibly, to have the best possible outcome, the least amount
of human loss. He stressed again, everyone’s responsibility to make the right
choices.
He also mentioned efforts
to repatriate Greeks from Spain, Italy and other countries who will remain in
quarantine upon return.
He said that these
are critical times, that we must make the right choices and decisions, and realize
our choices have consequences for others, so stay home, don’t congregate.
At the end, when Hardalias
took one last question, he was asked if stricter measures will be in place, including
a complete prohibition on movement, he answered with one sentence, which ended
today’s briefing:
“We will take any measures
necessary to protect human lives.”
***
A shipment of medical
equipment from China has arrived in Greece. It includes 500,000 masks from the Chinese
government, and 500,000 additional items from a Chinese company. Messages from
the Chinese, taped to the shipment, included a quote from Aristotle:
Φιλία εστί μία ψυχή εν δυσί σώμασιν ενοικουμένη.
“Friendship is a
single soul dwelling in two bodies.”
Other words of encouragement were: "Love knows no borders! Courage, Greece!"
Other words of encouragement were: "Love knows no borders! Courage, Greece!"
***
The first epidemiological study of the coronavirus has been released
by Greece’s National Organization for Public Health-
As of March 20,
3pm local time in Greece:
Of the 495 confirmed
cases in Greece: 455 are Greeks, 40 are foreign nationals who reside in Greece.
53.5% of the cases are men,45.5% women.
Age range:
65 and above: (20.7%)
40-64: (50.7%)
18-39: (24.2%)
0-17: (4.4%)
40-64: (50.7%)
18-39: (24.2%)
0-17: (4.4%)
***
COVID-19 patients
hospitalized in Greece:
Total hospitalized
patients: 117/495 (23.6%)
Men: 64/117
(54.7%)
Age 65 and over: 56/117 (47.9%)
In ICU/intubated: 26/117
(22.2%)
Result:
Currently in hospital: 90/117 (76.9%)
Deaths: 8/117 (6.8%)
Discharged from
hospital: 19/117 (16.2%)
***
Location of COVID-19
cases in Greece:
Prefecture
|
# of cases
|
Athens
|
213
|
Ilias
|
41
|
Pireaus
|
19
|
Eastern
Attica
|
15
|
Kastoria
|
13
|
Thessaloniki
|
10
|
Achaias
|
9
|
Zakinthos
|
5
|
Iraklion
|
4
|
Kozani
|
4
|
Pierias
|
3
|
Western
Attica
|
2
|
Evros
|
2
|
Ioannina
|
2
|
Messinia
|
2
|
Arkadia
|
1
|
Evia
|
1
|
Larissa
|
1
|
Lesvos
|
1
|
Under
investigation
|
147
|
Researchers estimate
that the actual number of cases in Greece is 2,000 – 3,000.
The map below shows where
the confirmed cases are located.
The study’s data, in
its entirety (in Greek), can be found here.
***
On yesterday's walk through the mostly empty neighborhood, I took a few snapshots of the kiosks and the front pages of all the newspapers...
Of course coronavirus news dominate the headlines. A few, however caught my eye, like this one from the newspaper Pillar of Orthodoxy.
The headline reads: "Holy Communion,The cure for coronavirus"
The newspaper Orthodox Press (below) wonders, in horror, "Is our church being ruled over by the State?"
In the photo below, the newspaper on the top, Carnage! has a headline which asks the question "A conspiracy behind the people's back? DIRTY GAMES with 'cheap' vaccinations. Is that what the plutocracy took to cure themselves?"
The paper underneath, Orthodox Truth exclaims to its readers, the outcome of the recent (unthinkable) measure to halt church services: "Prayer at Home!" ...
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