Surge in young COVID-19 patients: Six patients between the ages of 18-39 die in Greek hospitals in the last week

In the aftermath of the uproar over tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas’ statement that young people need not be vaccinated, the president of the Greek Medical Association, Athanasios Exadaktylos, today said that the number of young people who have been hospitalised with COVID-19 or even died is on the rise.

“In the last seven days we have lost (they died) six young people between the ages of 18 and 39,” Exadaktylos said.

“Right now, 13 young people in the same age bracket and one child are being treated in a hospital ICU,” he noted in an interview with Real FM.

In a strong plea, he called on the unvaccinated to get the jab.

“Even at this late date, they should hear the voice of logic and responsible science,” he declared.

How many unvaccinated?

Exadaktylos underlined that one-third of the Greek population is unvaccinated.

Greek experts have said that in order to build a strong wall of immunity to cope with the highly transmissible Delta variant of the virus, about 80 percent of the population must be vaccinated.

Exadaktylos noted that the percentage of vaccinated COVID-19 patients hospitalised in ICUs is a single-digit number, while a few dozen vaccinated patients with milder cases are being treated in regular hospital beds.

He said that based on the course of the epidemic in Greece, there is a prospect that the compulsory use of masks everywhere may be reinstituted.