Authorities in Romania are bracing up for the Delta-driven fourth wave

As Romania cannot avoid the pandemics fourth wave, authorities are moving to step up the vaccine rollout

Ştefan Stoica, 11.08.2021, 14:00

Romania has exceeded 300 daily
infections with the novel coronavirus. In spite of the low number of infections
and the fact that the Delta variant hasn’t yet spread as expected, there are still
reasons for concern in Romania. Medical authorities here are expecting
infections with the Delta variant to be on the rise as the number of those
fully vaccinated has barely reached five million.

The latest data points to a rising
number of infections with the novel coronavirus among people below 40, while
the average age of those killed by the virus has also gone down, from 71 to 69.
Physician Valeriu Gheorghita, who coordinates Romania’s vaccine rollout, has
cautioned that although the number of cases remains low, the infection rate is
steady and progressive. Under a worst-case scenario, in the second half of
September, Romania could have over 15 hundred daily infections.

Valeriu Gheorghita: Pessimistic scenarios point to a potential
increase in the number of infections next month, when we are going to see a
higher number of daily cases, 15 hundred, 16 hundred in the second half of
September. Now we are having 9.3 infections per thousand in 14 days but we
expect this number to double in the next two weeks.

Valeriu Gheorghita has reiterated that
the only solution for the containment of this pandemic is vaccination, which can
protect citizens from severe forms of illnesses.

In another development, the ruling
coalition convened on Tuesday to find ways to step up the vaccine rollout in
this country, which may even include meal vouchers for those fully vaccinated. According
to Health Minister Ioana Mihaila, these vouchers will be somewhere around 20
euros.

Stronger immunity allows citizens
to better cope with the upcoming Delta-driven fourth wave, but it is the
responsibility of every Romanian to get the jab in order to minimize the risk
of being admitted to hospital, the Health Minister went on to say. According to
her, people must be responsible not only for their health but also for those
around. ‘It is important to avoid hospital treatment, which may lead to
overcrowded hospitals and for this we must get the vaccine’, Minister Mihaila
also added.

(bill)