ATHENS – The grim toll of deaths in Greece from the COVID-19 pandemic has surpassed 17,000 as the pandemic is being spread by anti-vaxxers not required to be inoculated and with the New Democracy government’s attention on the economy.

There were a record 87 deaths in a 24-hour period reported on Nov. 17 as the struggle to contain the pandemic goes on, with the unvaccinated facing some restrictions about going into public gathering spots but not forced to take the shots.In the first 17 days of November, there were 1,074 deaths of patients infected with the coronavirus, when in the whole of October authorities recorded 1,110 deaths and in September 1,137, reported Kathimerini.

There have been mixed signals from the government about whether there would be more restrictions added with various officials contradicting each other and Mitsotakis due for a national TV address Nov. 18 to talk about the pandemic and plans for Christmas, a critical revenue period for businesses.