Respiratory virus cases trending down in Romania

While respiratory virus cases are falling in Romania, doctors warn the flu season is not over.

Daniela Budu, 07.04.2023, 13:50

Respiratory virus, flu and Covid-19 cases are all trending down and Romania has sufficient stocks of medicine to treat them, said health minister Alexandru Rafila on Thursday at a conference call with the heads of public health directorates from around the country. He said 6,900 Covid-19 cases were recorded last week, 10% fewer than the previous week. The number of fatalities, 59, is, however, still quite high, but mortality remains at under 1% of total number of cases. With respect to number of hospital beds, of the 12,000 beds allocated to Covid patients, a little over 12% are occupied at the moment. The minister said the number of intensive care beds also halved compared with previous pandemic waves. He says he is expecting respiratory virus cases to continue to drop:

“If we look at respiratory virus cases in general, including flu and Covid, theres a slight downward trend countrywide, with the total number dropping below 100,000. Im convinced they will continue to drop. As for treatment, there are sufficient stocks of antiviral medicine, Molnupiravir, Remdesivir as well as immunomodulators that can be administered to intensive care patients. We also have sufficient stocks of anticoagulants.”

On the other hand, the authorities said they “suspended” the state of epidemiological alert for flu. Infectious disease doctors from around the country are warning however of a sharp surge in cases of scarlet fever and chicken pox this season following the elimination of pandemic measures. Cases are not much higher compared with the numbers seen before the Covid pandemic, but there has been an increase compared with the last three years. As scarlet fever and chicken pox affect children in particular, outbreaks were reported in schools and kidergartens. There exists a vaccine against chicken pox, but it is not covered by the national vaccination scheme and must be bought by parents. A vaccine is not, however, available for scarlet fever, and patients must be treated in hospital.

Doctors are warning that the flu season is not yet over and are expecting an overlapping of the different viruses. They say we can protect ourselves with the usual measures, but whats most important is to avoid contact with those infected. Specialists say it is equally important for the sick to stay away from groups so as not to pass the virus on to others. (CM)