No room for laxity and complacency, epidemiologist Athena Linou warns
File photo: Νοσηλεύτρια σε νοσοκομείο. Η 87χρονη Σουλτάνα Γκέσιου πήρε την ειδικότητα βοηθού νοσηλευτή. ANA – MPA
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
“There is no room for laxity and complacency. The coronavirus is here and striking back,” said epidemiologist Athena Linou, a professor of epidemiology at the Athens University Medical School and president of the Institute of Preventive Medicine, Environmental & Occupational Health, Prolepsis, talking to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA).
“Non-compliance with individual hygiene and protection measures and irresponsible behaviours strengthen the virus transmission chain,” she underlined, adding that the latest data shows an “alarming increase in cases relatively early on.
The National Organisation for Public Health on Monday announced 97 new cases of coronavirus in Greece from Thursday, June 4.
“At the beginning of the epidemic, when we had 2-3 cases, it took 3 to 4 weeks (from the end of February to March 20-22) to reach 30 cases a day, but now it seems that time has been reduced. This means that the relaxation of the measures by many of our fellow citizens has led to a rapid dispersal and this will be difficult to control if it continues at this pace,” she explained.
She was also concerned because the cases were “scattered throughout the country.”
“When the epidemic started the cases were focused on people who had visited from the Holy Land. Now we have multiple cases in many parts of the country. People who get sick come in contact with a lot of people and this creates opportunities for the resumption of the epidemic and makes it difficult to trace the contacts,” she underlined.
“If we do not take any protection measures in a month, the number of cases will have multiplied. On the contrary, if we take protection measures, the situation can be fully controlled.”
She also raised the alarm, stressing that the problem is caused by behaviours. “Tourism alone cannot be a problem. It is our behaviour that changes the situation and can create a big explosion.”
Source: ANA – MPA
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