Tourists flocking to Greece this summer have been issued a warning after a surge in Covid cases there driven by the FLiRT variant.
The latest figures show that 669 new Covid patients were admitted to hospital in the week up to July 14, while 26 patients died from the disease.
Greece's national public health organisation EODY has urged vulnerable groups to seek immediate advice if they show symptoms of the virus.
The FLiRT variant is a subvariant of the highly contagious Omicron strain that first emerged in November 2021.
Common symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, muscle or body aches, shortness of breath, headache, and a runny nose.
Last week, the Metaxa Oncology Hospital in Athens reintroduced masks and other protective measures within its wards.
President of EINAP Matina Pagoni told the Greek television network MEGA: “It’s summer, we’re going on vacation, we never said the coronavirus was gone. The truth is that this year, compared to last year, the cases have nothing to do with it. There are too many, there are many hospitalisations and also deaths. 21-22 deaths are too many.”
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a warning saying: "If you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as Covid-19, and you have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to go to work or carry out normal activities, try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people, until you no longer have a high temperature (if you had one) or until you no longer feel unwell."
Bulgaria, which neighbours Greece, has recommended “strict compliance with preventive and hygienic measures in the context of the spread of the disease”.
Warwick University virologist Professor Lawrence Young said the spread of the virus variant should act as a “wake-up call” for anyone who believes the virus has disappeared.
He told the i newspaper: “The virus hasn’t gone away and is certainly not a seasonal infection. A combination of new, more infectious virus variants and waning immunity is very likely contributing to these increased levels of infection.
“The hope is that this will not result in a big wave of infection but we need to keep a close watch.”
