ATHENS – It's a long way from being over but vaccinations are driving down the number of COVID-19 cases in Greece, especially the critically ill, alleviating pressure o public hospital Intensive Care Units (ICUs) that were overwhelmed and near capacity.

That also means that doctors diverted to dealing with the pandemic can return to other cases that were pushed back, such as elective surgeries that had to be postponed with hospitals potential danger spots for spreading the virus.

In two of Athens’ largest hospitals, Gennimatas and Sismanogleio, nearly 40 percent of the about 200 patient rooms dedicated to COVID-19 have been released to serve other patients, said Kathimerini.

But the 15-month health crisis saw even 300 heart-related surgeries having to be put on hold and still pending, creating a backlog that will take time to clear as as the pandemic is lingering.

Hospital officials hope they can get clear them by the end of July, the paper said, but the government's advisory panel of doctors and scientists is keeping an eye on epidemiological data to see if it spikes because some people ignore health measures.