The SARS-CoV2 virus/Covid-19 infection remained at low levels – recording a decrease in incidents – during the previous 34th week of surveillance in our country. The number of intubated patients with COVID-19 infection is 25, and 40 deaths were recorded with a median age of 87 years (range 64-97 years).

The number of new intubations (n=19) showed an increase compared to the previous week and relative to the average weekly number of new intubations during the previous 4 weeks (n=8)

According to the latest data from EODY “the positivity in all tested samples showed a slight decrease compared to the previous week, the number of admissions for COVID-19 (n=629) showed a slight decrease compared to the previous week and an increase of 26 % relative to the average weekly number of new admissions over the previous 4 weeks’.

During the last few weeks all the strains sequenced belonged in Omicron’s BA.2 sub-variant. At week 30 the most frequent BA.2 sub-variant was EG.5 (39%), followed by XBB.1.5 (38%). Viral load surveillance in municipal wastewater showed an increase in SARS-CoV-2 virus circulation in 4 out of 10 areas tested.

Regarding the influenza virus, flu positivity in the community remains below 10% (sentinel) and one new severe case of laboratory-confirmed influenza with ICU hospitalization was recorded in week 34/2023, while no new death from laboratory-confirmed influenza was recorded.

For respiratory syncytial virus RSV, all tested samples were negative.