March 15, 2021 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
România Internațional, 15.03.2021, 20:00
Covid-19RO. The capital city Bucharest and Braşov, Cluj, Hunedoara, Ilfov, Sălaj and Timiş counties are now in the so-called red zone, with an infection rate exceeding 3 cases per one thousand inhabitants. 2,972 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, out of 12 thousand tests run at country level, the Strategic Communication Group announced on Monday afternoon. Also, 82 people died of Covid-19, raising the death toll to 21,565. More than 862 thousand cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Romania since the start of the pandemic. 787,392 people have been cured and currently there are 1,225 Covid-19 patients in intensive care.
Pandemic. France decided on Monday to suspend the use of AstraZenecas Covid-19 vaccine “out of precaution”, pending an opinion from the European Medicines Agency, which will be announced on Tuesday afternoon. President Emmanuel Macron hopes that vaccination with this serum “will be resumed soon”, “if the authoritys opinion allows it”. Several European countries have already suspended the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine, with the latest decisions coming from Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. The situation occurs after possible side effects have appeared, though unproven at this stage. AstraZeneca has announced that it has completed an analysis of the vaccination process with the anti-COVID-19 serum it produced and found no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots in the inoculated persons. The number of cases of blood clots reported in the 17 million vaccinated people is lower than the hundreds of cases that would be expected to occur among the general population, the pharmaceutical company states.
Vaccination. The vaccination campaign in Romania entered its third stage on Monday, addressing the general population. For the time being the immunization process is carried out in towns and villages where the COVID infection rate exceeds 4.5 per one thousand inhabitants. People can register on waiting lists on the online platform. Meanwhile people who enrolled in the second phase continue to get their shots. So far over 2.2 million people have taken one of the three vaccines rolled out in Romania – Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca.
Collective. The documentary “Collective”, directed by Alexander Nanau, became on Monday the first Romanian film nominated for the Oscars, where it will compete in the categories best documentary and best international feature film, according to the online platforms of the American Film Academy. The documentary, a Romania-Luxembourg co-production, presents the joint efforts of doctors, government officials and investigative journalists who discover a major fraud in the health system in Bucharest, after the fire that broke out at the Colectiv club in October 2015 and rezulted in dozens dead and wounded. The world premiere took place in 2019 at the Venice International Film Festival. The film was nominated for Best Documentary at the European Film Academy Awards and the London Film Critics Circle Awards. “Its a story about the state, about incompetent authorities who, through lies and manipulation, trampled on peoples lives,” the director says. Another co-production with Romanian participation, “Quo Vadis, Aida?” (Bosnia – Herzegovina / Austria / Romania / Netherlands / Germany / Poland / France / Norway), directed by Jasmila Zbanic, was nominated for the Best International Feature Film category at the 93rd Oscar awards.
Message. Romanias president, Klaus Iohannis, on Monday conveyed a message marking the Day of Hungarians Worldwide. In his message, the president says that fostering interethnic harmony will help consolidate a stronger and more prosperous society. The head of state referred to the significant contribution of the Hungarian minority in Romania and its political representatives to Romanias efforts towards European integration, promoting democratic values, human rights and the protection of minorities as underlying elements of Romanian society. “These are the foundations of our common path towards a European future that shows a deep understanding of the mistakes of the past”, president Iohannis said in his message.
Restructuring. Romanias Energy Minister, Virgil Popescu, on Monday started a a two-day visit to Brussels, where he will try to persuade EU officials to approve the €1.33 billion restructuring plan for the Oltenia Energy Company. Oltenia needs a total of €3.5 billion to cover restructuring costs over the next 5 years, of which €1.5 billion is provided by the Company, and the rest by the state. In February, the European Commission announced the launch of a comprehensive investigation into the state funding allotted to restructure the company, claiming the companys energy output wont change significantly after its reorganization. Romanian authorities hope to obtain the approval of the European Commission by the end of April, so that the Oltenia Energy Company should be able to pay CO2 permits for 2020 penalty-free.
Tennis. According to the WTA rankings announced on Monday, Romania once again has 5 representatives among the top 100 professional tennis players. No change has taken place, compared to last week, in the top ten positions. The Australian Ashleigh Barty ranks first, followed by the Japanese Naomi Osaka and the Romanian Simona Halep. The other four Romanians in the Top 100 are Patricia Ţig, who went down two places and is now on 63, Sorana Cîrstea, who went up one place to 66, Irina Begu, standing on 73, and Ana Bogdan, who went up from 101 to 99. In doubles, all three Romanians in the first hundred regressed: Raluca Olaru dropped three places (48), Monica Niculescu, two (53), and Andreea Mitu, two (90). (MI)
