Respiratory infections are experiencing a significant surge in recent days. Citizens are plagued by fever, fatigue, sore throat, cough, nasal congestion, and hospital emergency rooms are filling with individuals exhibiting severe symptoms seeking medical care. The “star” of the wave of infections is flu type A, followed by rhinoviruses, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and coronavirus. Meanwhile, metapneumovirus (hMPV), which recently gained broader attention, appears to remain at levels typical for the season but continues to cause severe illness in certain cases.

“We are witnessing a sharp increase in viral infections, primarily affecting the upper respiratory tract. As predicted, following the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, we expected this spike due to both the heavy gatherings during the holidays and because this is the peak period for these infections,” Professor of Pulmonology at the University of Crete, Nikos Tzanakis, told protothema.gr.

Type A flu dominates, with symptoms including fever – often high – joint pain, muscle aches, and cough. It also causes a sore throat and gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea. Mr. Tzanakis highlights that vaccination rates remain relatively low, even though the flu vaccine protects against severe illness, despite its effectiveness rate being below 50%, as experts explain.

The positivity rate of samples collected through the hospital surveillance network showed a significant increase during the first week of the new year compared to the previous week, according to data released by the National Public Health Organization (EODY). Specifically, during the first week of 2025, there were seven new severe cases requiring ICU admission and one death due to laboratory-confirmed flu. Overall, since the start of this season’s flu surveillance (October) up to January 5, 2025, there have been 31 laboratory-confirmed cases with ICU hospitalization and four deaths. Furthermore, between the first week of 2024 and the first week of 2025, there have been 65 recorded flu deaths.

As for flu circulation and the dominant strains in Greece, data from both Primary Health Care and hospital surveillance provide insight. More specifically, according to EODY data, between October and January 5, 2025, among 1,495 samples tested, 116 (8%) were positive for flu viruses. Of these, 112 were subtyped, with 106 belonging to type A and six to type B. Of the 101 type A strains further subtyped, 33 (33%) belonged to the A(H3) subtype and 68 (67%) to the A(H1)pdm09 subtype.

Rhinoviruses, RSV, Coronavirus, and Metapneumovirus
The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can cause severe clinical manifestations and complications, particularly affecting children under one year of age and the elderly. Doctors report seeing numerous RSV cases in hospitals, as this is the peak season for the virus. Notably, this year marks the availability of an RSV vaccine specifically for the elderly, recommended by the National Vaccination Committee for all individuals aged 75 and above, as well as those aged 65 and older with chronic illnesses.

Coronavirus remains “present,” with peaks and lulls. Over recent weeks, during the rise in respiratory infections, both Covid-19 cases and hospital admissions have increased. According to reports, as of Monday, January 13, there were 632 hospitalized coronavirus patients in the country, in regular wards, ICUs, and high-dependency units. Additionally, positivity rates in the community have risen, with more self-tests returning positive results.

However, data on antiviral prescriptions suggest that coronavirus is not the main cause of this winter’s spike in viral infections. Currently, 500 antiviral packages are being dispensed daily to Covid-19-positive patients at risk of severe illness, compared to 1,500-2,000 packages daily during the same period last year.

In addition to the aforementioned well-known pathogens, rhinoviruses, adenoviruses, and various viruses causing flu-like syndromes are affecting a significant portion of the population. Regarding metapneumovirus, cases do not appear to be higher than in previous years – the virus was first discovered in 2001, according to Mr. Tzanakis. However, 5%-7.5% of flu-like syndrome cases in children under five years old are caused by hMPV, as well as 10% of chronic lung disease exacerbations in adults. Additionally, metapneumovirus can cause severe symptoms similar to those of the flu.

Epidemic Wave Expected to Decline by Mid-February
“The wave of infections will persist throughout January, but we hope it will subside around mid-February,” says Mr. Tzanakis. As a result of the epidemic, hospital emergency rooms are experiencing increased visits, and hospital admissions are rising.

According to the president of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Workers (POEDIN), Michalis Giannakos, after Christmas, major hospitals in Athens, Thessaloniki, and regional areas are “overrun” with medical cases. “More patients are coming in with flu and other respiratory infections compared to the same period last year. However, significantly fewer Covid-19 patients are seeking care compared to last year,” Mr. Giannakos notes, adding, “Emergency departments in on-call hospitals already resemble war zones […] The waiting time for an examination now exceeds 8 hours.”