Greece: 2 private clinics appropriated to treat COVID-19 Greece’s Health Ministry says it is taking over a pair of private health clinics in northern Greece as the region’s public hospitals are under severe pressure from a surge in coronavirus casesTHESSALONIKI, Greece -- Greek authorities are taking over two private health clinics in the northern city of Thessaloniki as the region’s public hospitals struggle to cope with a surge in coronavirus cases, the country's Health Ministry said Friday. Sarafianos, who owns one of the two appropriated clinics, said an agreement reached with health authorities in March and renewed in September was for private clinics to provide beds for non-coronavirus patients. “We don't want to become centers of transmission,” said Sarafianos, who added that doctors and nurses would need special training to deal with COVID-19 patients. He said patients without the coronavirus would be transferred from the appropriated clinics to other private or public facilities. Nationwide, Greece currently has a total of 6,362 hospital beds dedicated to coronavirus patients, of which 4,079 were occupied on Friday.

Source: ABC News November 20, 2020 07:43 UTC