ATHENS – Just when you thought COVID was going away comes the worry that in Greece the lingering pandemic will bring another variant, Centaurus, likely due to hit the end of September or early in October – flu season.

Technically it’s called BA.2.75 variant but by any name brings another fear attached to the seemingly unstoppable Coronavirus that hit early in 2020 and has changed people’s lives around the world.

Dimosthenis Sarigiannis, Professor of Environmental Engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki told Greece’s state-run ERT TV that this variant is even more troubling than the Omicron versions that were wicked.

“Fifty percent of cases will be due to it,” he said, adding it’s being held back now only because of the summer heat but when the weather cools it will rise and strike, a worry for schools too where students have to wear masks inside.

“A significant increase in dispersal reaching 30,000 median cases with simultaneous controlled increase in the hard indicators of the pandemic will occur,” he said, adding there could be 50-60 deaths a day as a result of its effect.

He said there remains a need for a fourth shot of vaccines especially for the elderly and the younger population, with the consent of a doctor. Centaurus was first detected in India in early May.