ATHENS, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Sino-Greek cooperation has contributed to Greece's successful battle against COVID-19 so far, Greek officials told Xinhua here, wishing for further bilateral cooperation in the post-pandemic era in the health sector and other fields.
The total of confirmed cases in Greece since the novel coronavirus was first detected in the country on Feb. 26, stands at 12,080, including 293 fatalities, the National Public Health Organization (EODY) announced on Wednesday evening.
Although an acute 10-year financial crisis had taken a toll on its healthcare system, its response to the new challenge of the pandemic has won praise and Greek officials acknowledge also the significance of the helping hand they received from friends.
The first major load of critical medical supplies (nearly 18 tons) which reached the Athens international airport in March was donated to Greece by the Chinese government, enterprises, and organizations, followed by further donations and cooperation in the following months.
"I am grateful, as Governor of Attica, in this crucial period for the future of all of us, for the excellent relations we have developed with China...with beneficial results for the health safety in our region," Giorgos Patoulis, regional governor of Attica, told Xinhua.
When the COVID-19 reached Greece, the Attica Region acted quickly and managed to procure from China masks and personal protective equipment to boost the protection of critical structures, such as the Elderly Care Units, and all residents of Attica and visitors, he explained.
"We look forward to our further cooperation during the current period of the pandemic crisis we are going through, as well as in the post-COVID era, in health, development, culture, and tourism," the Greek official added.
Cooperation beyond borders is vital in a crucial crossroad for the international community, as medical science in the East and West is faced with a great challenge regarding the management of the effects of the pandemic, Patoulis noted.
"As President of the largest Medical Association in Greece, the Medical Association of Athens, in parallel with my capacity as Governor of Attica, I must say that from the beginning of 2020 until today we study closely the practice and results of the health policies and social behavior of the peoples of the East, who admittedly on international level, at least in the first wave of the pandemic, have managed to show better results in many countries than large Western countries with advanced health systems," he stressed.
"We learn from the discipline to the restrictive measures of the peoples of the East and from the effectiveness, for example of the use of the mask, in reducing the further spread of this terrible epidemic," the official said.
"At this historic moment for science and humanity, we face the great challenge for medical science to bridge instead of divide, to synthesize instead of oppose, so that we survive together, demonstrating the wisdom, health diplomacy, and humanitarian policy mankind calls for at such times," Patoulis stated.
"Although we are living in challenging times, we have every reason to remain optimistic here in Greece as a result of our successful response to the pandemic crisis," Professor Meletios-Athanasios Dimopoulos, rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) told Xinhua.
"We take pride in our Medical School and its internationally recognized academic staff who have been at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19 since the outburst of the pandemic, not only fighting the disease on a day-to-day basis in our hospitals but also leading and coordinating the medical response in Greece as the state's advisors," the rector said in an e-mailed statement.
The highest priority is and always will be the safety and well-being of all citizens living or visiting Greece, he stressed.
The NKUA has made significant efforts in the field of international collaboration with universities and research centers all over the world, including prestigious institutions from China, Professor Dimopoulos noted.
Regarding Sino-Greek cooperation in the battle against the novel coronavirus, he referred to China's Mammoth Foundation donation to the university in June. The foundation donated key laboratory testing equipment for COVID-19 to assist Greece's fight against the pandemic.
"It is of extreme significance not only for our university but also for our state, because it was about new medical equipment of the Huoyan (Fire Eye) lab for the detection and treatment of the most severe cases of COVID-19 affected patients," the professor said. Enditem
