Editorial: The darkest hour is just before dawn

"We are living nights of Apocalypse. People are dying torturously and totally alone. We cannot catch up with our patient case load. We are fighting against time. We stay up all night and are exhausted. We are constantly in danger of becoming afflicted by the plague of the 21st century."

That is what a young doctor confided to his family. He was treating patients with COVID-19 at a regional hospital.

His words leave no doubt about the gravity and critical nature of the second wave of the pandemic that is hammering northern Greece and may have a serious impact on the already battered National Health System.

There is no longer any doubt that the hospitals of Thessaloniki and Larissa are being sorely tested and are unable to handle the mounting caseload. They are sending patients to other hospitals and that is an ominous signal for the days ahead.

This means that in the coming days, hospitals, doctors, and nursing staff nationwide will face severe trials.

Society will experience dramatic conditions as cases multiply and the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic spreads forcefully in the community.

This is the bitter truth and it is certain that we shall witness tragic images similar to what we saw last spring in Northern Italy.

This will lead to even stricter public health measures and greater restrictions on the movement of citizens as tightly containing the number of cases is more crucial than ever.

This is why it is pointless right now to seek and attribute blame because that simply diverts our attention from the effort to contain the spread of the e.

As the PM said in Parliament the next ten days will severely test the entire population.

The difference with the first wave in spring is that now the international scientific...