New treatment methods in Romania

Efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic continue in Romania at all levels

Corina Cristea, 22.05.2020, 13:45

In Romania, the first case of coronavirus infection
was reported in late February. Aggregated data now show that, in approximately
three months, the number of people testing positive has grown to approximately 18
thousand. Some 1200 have died as a result of complications caused by Covid-19,
usually against underlying co-morbidities.

Some 11 thousand people have got
cured, though. Faced with a new virus, Romanian doctors, just like their colleagues
around the world, have tried various treatment schemes. The treatment based on
plasma harvested from people with Covid-19 has been recently applied in Romania
as well, and with good results. The patient is a 46 year old man, who developed
a severe form of the disease, and who was in a coma for a long period of time. After
being treated with plasma taken from people who had beaten the disease, the patient
managed to pull through.

On the other hand, in Bucharest, the municipality has
decided to test a first lot of 11 thousand volunteers, for free. The tests that
are going to be used are standard Real Time PCR tests, used widely at global level,
to diagnose a potential infection with SAR-CoV-2. For each volunteer, the Bucharest
municipality will pay 40 Euro to the labs that will take part in the project.

This is the first such initiative by local authorities
in Romania for the large-scale testing of asymptomatic people. Another project
is due next week. Some 10 thousand 5 hundred Bucharesters will be tested for
antibodies, to determine the way in which the virus has been circulating in the
capital.

Also, 2.3 million people from underprivileged categories
will get 50 protective masks for a period of two months, according to a decision
made by Government on Thursday. Health Minister Nelu Tataru has announced that
the masks are to be distributed over the next days.

Nelu Tataru: Local authorities must send to the Public
Health Directorate a list of such persons, and, once purchased, the masks will
be distributed to the population within three days. We must not forget that
masks are extremely important these days, and they are mandatory in enclosed areas,
on public means of transport and at work.

Wearing a mask in enclosed areas
became mandatory in Romania along with the coming into force, on May 15th,
of the state of alert, which, after two months of state of emergency, also
meant easing some of the restrictions, which in turn increases the risk of
contamination. (M.Ignatescu)