Vaccination and testing
The Romanian Health Ministry plans to increase the number of Covid-19 tests and discusses new indicators to be considered in testing reports.
Daniela Budu, 28.01.2021, 13:50
The Health Ministry in Bucharest has said changes are needed in terms of indicators included in the Covid-19 infection reports and also as regards the number of daily tests. State Secretary Andreea Moldovan says that, at present, official data does not mirror the real situation in Romania, as fewer tests than needed are taken and many of the positive tests are not reported. Moldovan has encouraged people to take the quick antigen test: ”These are quick tests, they are available and it takes around 15 minutes to have the result, so the testing capacity can definitely be increased. This does not happen at present. Testing and especially reporting the results in medical units is still slow. Moreover, these tests can also be taken at home. There are many people who take the test, one family member has a positive result and the others in the family no longer take the test so as not to waste it, and the positive test result is not reported. We want to emphasize the importance of testing and reporting, in order to have a clear picture of the situation.”
Moreover, authorities discuss about changing some indicators in the Covid-19 reporting. Thus, when the infection rate in a certain locality is reported, the number of infections in hotbeds will also be considered, which has not been the case before. According to Andreea Moldovan, hiding the real situation does not do Romania any favor. ”These indicators show us the real situation in the country so that measures can be taken accordingly. We should not regard them as restrictions, but as measures that help us keep things under control”, the official said. She also explained that, given the alarming pace of infection in all European countries, and the fact that countries have imposed new restrictions, the Romanian authorities must also be prepared.
In terms of vaccination, the authorities have announced that, starting February 1, people will also be immunized with the Moderna vaccine, alongside the Pfizer vaccine. Moreover, people working in essential sectors, included in the second stage of the immunization campaign, will be scheduled for vaccination again. Over 35 thousand people from this category should have been vaccinated these days, but they were delayed by 10 days because last week Romania only got half the number of doses it should have received, so the elderly and the people with chronic diseases were given priority. (Translated by E. Enache)
