Greece confirms 21 new cases of coronavirus in group arriving from Israel

Greece witnessed a dramatic rise in the number of coronavirus cases as officials confirmed 21 new cases who recently returned from a trip in Israel. After the 21 new cases, the total number of coronavirus cases in Greece spiked to 31.

Health Ministry reportedly announced on March 5 that one of the first ten coronavirus victims is a close relative of a 66-year-old patient who travelled to Israel as well as Egypt before returning back to Greece. The patient is currently kept in isolation in Rio University Hospital in Patras.  

'Likely to get worse'

The European Union (EU) has raised the risk level of coronavirus from ‘moderate’ to ‘high’ as the cases in the continent continue to grow. Speaking at a news conference, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control raised the risk level looking at the concerning situation.

“While we should not give in to panic, the situation is likely to still get worse. So we need to be prepared. Time is of the essence here,” said Janez Lenarčič, EU’s Crisis Management Commissioner.

Government and companies in Europe have started taking drastic measures in the wake of coronavirus with Italy reporting the most number of deaths in the continent. After an employee of the BMW Group was tested positive of the virus in Munich, the company reportedly quarantined 150 German employees.

Read: Coronavirus: Global Economy To Witness Worst Downturn In Decade, Warns OECD

United Nations has released $15 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to help fund global efforts to contain the novel coronavirus COVID-19. UN Humanitarian Chief Mark Lowcock announced the release of the fund after the World Health Organisation (WHO) raised the alert to its top level of risk assessment - ‘very high’.

Read: WHO Chief Says 'we Are In Uncharted Territory' As Coronavirus Spreads

The UN funding has been released for the WHO and the UNICEF to help essential activities including monitoring the spread of the virus, investigating cases, and the operation of national laboratories. The WHO has called for $675 million in funding to combat the deadly virus. WHO Director-General said that the biggest concern is the countries with weaker health systems.

Read: EU Raises Risk Level To ‘high’ Amid Rising Coronavirus Cases

Read: WHO Chief Says 'we Are In Uncharted Territory' As Coronavirus Spreads

(With agency inputs)