Romania’s Healthcare Minister has again cautioned against the novel coronavirus

Romania has lately seen an increase in the number of Covid-19 infections although the chart of the daily infections has hit a certain ceiling. Pundits believe the main problem is the pressure exerted upon the country's healthcare system whose specialised personnel are tired and scarce.  The daily death toll has also increased from one day to another and so has the number of those in need of intensive care to survive the severe forms of Covid-19. Health Minister Nelu Tataru believes the number of infections will increase in the next week mainly because of the holiday season.

Nelu Tataru: "With the holiday season in full swing now we are presently dealing with a higher number of cases. We are doing a lot of tests and consequently we expect many of these to be positive. We must clinically deal with these positive tests, and address the medium and severe, which are going to need intensive care treatment, where our resources are limited."  

Romania presently has 100 places in intensive care units fitted with ventilators. In this context, the minister has pointed out that prevention rules must be observed in order to limit the spreading of the virus. He has voiced hope that people have understood the importance of this moment and are no longer minimizing the situation. 

"As long as we have new cases, the medical personnel that we now rely on will be overwhelmed. And since prevention rules aren't observed, we can only handle what we get in hospitals. We have a limit," the minister says adding that a pandemic is not stopped in hospitals but outside them.

The minister has also recalled that the government had to also handle a period of legislation vacuum during which over 46 hundred people infected refused hospitalisation and left hospitals. Authorities are now trying to identify these people in order to conduct epidemiological investigations. Those showing symptoms are being hospitalised, while those who do not have symptoms are being tested by paramedics and other mobile units and isolated at home.  

In another development, a monograph titled 'The Covid-19 pandemic in Romania - Clinical and epidemiological aspects' was released on Thursday by the Romanian Academy Publishing House. Attending the event, the country's Health Minister underlined the support offered by the Academy is essential and gave assurances the medical personnel are doing their job in spite of the fatigue they are currently experiencing.

According to Horatiu Moldovan, state secretary with the Ministry of Healthcare, the volume represents a major element of scientific research, which comes to indisputably prove and endorse the measures taken during the pandemic in Romania. The work also includes a synthesis of scientific data gleaned internationally and corroborated with clinical expertise and research of some of the most reputed scientists Romania has.   

(translated by bill)