SARS-CoV2 positivity in the community increased, as did all hard indicators, hospital admissions, intubations, deaths.

There was also a small increase in flu positivity, according to the epidemiological report of the EODY for the period 20-26 May.

Particularly:

Influenza-like illness – ILI (regardless of pathogen)

The number of influenza cases per 1,000 visits remains low.

Severe Acute Respiratory Infection – SARI (regardless of pathogen)

The number of SARI cases per 1,000 visits remains low.

SARS-CoV2 virus – COVID-19 infection

The positivity in all tested samples showed an increase compared to the previous week.

The number of new admissions was 158. The average weekly number of new admissions over the previous four weeks was 90, and the number of admissions in the corresponding week of 2023 was 629.

The number of new intubations was three. The average weekly number of new intubations over the previous four weeks was two, and the number of intubations in the corresponding week in 2023 was eight. The number of intubated patients with COVID-19 infection is eight.

The death toll was six. The average weekly number of deaths in the previous four weeks was two and the number of deaths in the corresponding week in 2023 was 50.

The most common sub-variant of BA.2 remains JN.1.

Viral load surveillance in municipal wastewater showed a drop in SARS-CoV-2 circulation in two of the ten areas tested, an increase in six, and a stabilization in two.

Influenza virus

Influenza positivity in the community (sentinel network) showed a small increase compared to the previous week, remaining above 10% (ECDC seasonal threshold of start/end of epidemic activity of influenza).

In the SARI network samples, positivity remains at low levels. One new serious case with hospitalization in ICU was recorded, while no new death from laboratory-confirmed influenza was recorded.

In total, since the start of the influenza surveillance, 146 people with laboratory-confirmed influenza have been hospitalized in the ICU and 70 deaths from laboratory-confirmed influenza have been recorded.

1,046 influenza strains (derived from community sentinel samples, from SARI surveillance samples and from hospital samples outside surveillance networks) have been typed, of which 553 (53%) were type A and 493 (47%) were type B. The predominant type is B both in the community (PHC Sentinel surveillance network) and in hospitals (SARI surveillance network).

In total, 535 A-type strains have been subtyped in the two Influenza Reference Centers. 491 (92%) belonged to the A(H1)pdm09 subtype and 44 (8%) to the A(H3) subtype.

Respiratory syncytial virus – RSV

RSV positivity in both the community (Sentinel PHY surveillance network) and hospitals (SARI surveillance network) remains very low.