Tourists heading to Greece for summer vacations were warned against a new FLiRT coronavirus variant in the country, according to multiple U.K. media reports on Wednesday.
There has been an increase in cases reported in the last 20 days, with nearly 669 patients admitted to hospitals from July 8 to July 14, said the Independent newspaper, citing Greece’s National Public Health Organization (EODY).
In its latest report, the organization said it had seen an increase in hospital admissions, with 669 new COVID-19 patients admitted from July 8 to 14, 2024. The report adds that this was a 44% increase in the average weekly number of new admissions over the previous four weeks.
In total, 26 COVID-19 deaths were recorded, it added.
The average weekly number of deaths during the previous four weeks was 17, and the number of deaths in the respective week of 2023 was 17, EODY said in its report on epidemiological overview.
Moreover, The Independent drew attention to heat waves the country has recently struggled with, which have left many vulnerable people shielding from high temperatures indoors.
The report also cited that last week, the Metaxa Oncology Hospital in Piraeus, the port area of Athens, had reintroduced masks and other protective measures within its wards. At the same time, it quoted another report suggesting an increase in the viral load of SARS-CoV2 in Thessaloniki, as shown by the measurements in the city’s municipal waste.
It noted that U.K. health experts have suggested that the FLiRT and LB.1 COVID variants might be able to evade immunity, which is why people who have been vaccinated are still contracting the virus.
“Increased travel and big events such as festivals often result in crowded settings where the virus can spread more easily, and there are no longer any legal restrictions like wearing masks or social distancing,” Independent quoted doctor Mariyam Malik, an NHS and private GP at Pall Mall Medical as saying.
In response to spiking cases, countries like Bulgaria have warned tourists heading to Greece to comply with “preventive and hygienic measures” to stop the spread of disease.
Greece and other southern European destinations such as Portugal, Spain and Türkiye are highly favored among British tourists.
Several other U.K. publications, including the Daily Mail, The Mirror and Metro.co.uk, have similarly reported related warnings about travel to Greece.
The increasing trend of hospital admissions appears after the World Health Organization (WHO) warned earlier this month that COVID hasn’t gone away. The so-called FLiRT variants of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that cause COVID-19 have been the dominant forms of the virus circulating this year globally.
