Warning to tourists: New COVID variant threatens Greek vacations

Britain joins other countries in issuing a warning to tourists planning to spend the summer vacation in Greece, due to the risk of contracting a new version of the corona virus. It seems that the new FLiRT variant is attacking the island, and you can already see a sharp increase in the number of hospital admissions.

According to reports from the authorities in Greece, about 669 new corona patients were hospitalized between July 8 and 14. This is a 44% increase in the weekly average compared to the corresponding period in June. In total, 26 deaths from the coronavirus were recorded. As a result of the increase in hospitalizations, the Oncology Hospital in Piraeus, Athens, decided to reinstate the mask policy and other protective measures.

The president of the Athens and Piraeus hospital doctors' association, Matina Pagoni, said: "We never said that the corona virus has disappeared. This year there are too many hospitalizations and also deaths." According to the union's estimates, the outbreak is expected to last until the end of July.

An increase in the number of hospitalizations and morbidity due to Corona can also be seen in other tourist destinations, including Cyprus, Belgium and Ireland. In Malta, for example, we see an almost 400% increase in the incidence of corona in recent months. In Portugal, the number of recorded cases increased by 700% between May and June.

The World Health Organization has issued a stern warning to those planning a summer vacation, urging them to take precautions against the corona virus such as vaccination, masks, maintaining hygiene and more.

The latest symptoms of the FLiRT variant include fatigue, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, headaches, body aches and cough - similar to symptoms seen earlier in the pandemic. While loss of taste and smell has become less common, some people may experience conjunctivitis, or gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.