ATHENS – While hot weather is supposed to hold down the dreaded and sometimes fatal Coronavirus that was seemingly almost over as a pandemic waned, cases are rising again in Greece, bringing more hospitalizations and deaths.

There’s also more people needing to be put on ventilators in Intensive Care Units to breathe because they are so ill, with figures from the National Public Health Organization (EODY) for June 24 showing increases.

There were 472 people in hospitals for the week, down slightly from 487 the week before but far higher than the weekly median for the previous four weeks at 300 and the same period a year ago when it was just 182.

There were five people put into ICU’s and eight hospitalized, more than double the four-week previous median of 3, indicating that while there weren’t many people in jeopardy that a trend has been noticed.

As troubling, there were 22 deaths from June 24-30 as the pandemic has faded from public attention and gathering spots such as supermarkets and restaurants show almost no one wearing masks anymore.

The most common sub-variant of BA.2.86 is still JN.1. Sampling of viral load in urban waste from 6 out of 10 areas showed a rise in the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a drop in 1, and no change in 3.