Growing interest in vaccination

More and more Romanians choose to get vaccinated against Covid-19

Corina Cristea, 26.10.2021, 14:00

A major contribution to the
steadily high rate of vaccination in Romania in recent days has been that of
vaccination marathons. One of them, organised this past weekend in Bucharest-the
city with the highest vaccination rate, but also the largest number of daily
new cases-ran in 6 centres located in all sectors of the capital. And the
figures at the end of each day significantly surpassed the rate reported as
late, when growing numbers of people were already showing up in vaccination
centres, fearing the large numbers of deaths, infections and patients in
hospitals.

The proportion of
citizens over 18 who have got the vaccine in Romania has reached 40%, the head
of the national vaccination programme Valeriu Gheorghiță announced, and added
that similar events will be held in the forthcoming period so as to make sure
that 70% of the population has been vaccinated by year-end:

Valeriu Gheorghiță: Every weekend we will hold
a vaccination marathon in Bucharest, after we have identified a vaccination
centre with extended working hours. This gives us reason to hope that by the
end of the year we will reach that immunisation threshold through vaccination. I
am using this opportunity to invite all medical schools in the country and all
the county Public Health Directorates to organise such events in all major
cities. Over the past few days we have gradually opened new vaccination units,
and we hope that in the forthcoming period we will get to more than 150,000 or
even 200,000 doses administered every day.

During the 3 days of the vaccination marathon in Bucharest, people proved
to be open to vaccination when we opened towards them. Such events need to be
replicated in smaller towns as well, said the interim health minister Cseke
Attila.

Meanwhile, on Monday
and Tuesday another vaccination marathon was organised in 6 military hospitals
that are also regional storage centres for anti-COVID vaccines. Keeping the centres in Constanța, Cluj-Napoca, Iași,
Craiova, Brașov and Timișoara open around the clock is one of the means by
which the National Defence Ministry chose to celebrate Army Day this year.

Experts and authorities
around the world reiterate that vaccination is the only way to put an end to
the pandemic. Meanwhile, in Brussels, the European Commission put together a portfolio
of 10 most efficient treatments against COVID-19. Organised into 3 categories-antiviral monoclonal
antibodies, which are most effective
in the earliest stages of infection, oral antivirals for
use as quickly as possible after the infection,
and immunomodulators
to treat hospitalised patients-these products will be available across the EU
as soon as the European Medicines Agency has confirmed their efficacy. (tr. A.M. Popescu)