Coronavirus pandemic – alarming figures
The number of Covid-19 infections in Romania has exceeded 40 thousand since the start of the pandemic.
Roxana Vasile, 23.07.2020, 14:00
Global coronavirus infections exceeded 15 million on Wednesday. The death toll is over 600 thousand, while the number of people who have recovered gets close to 10 million. The US, India, Russia and South Africa are the countries most affected by the virus, alongside Latin American countries such as Brazil, Peru and Chile. Europe, that initially seemed to have overcome the medical crisis, is now considering to reintroduce restrictions, after summer tourism has prompted the number of infections to go up significantly in some countries. Romania does not stand that bad, compared with other countries.
The number of people infected since the virus outbreak five months ago has exceeded 40 thousand, of whom around 25 thousand have recovered and 21 hundred have died. On the other hand, the number of infections in 24 hours exceeded one thousand on Wednesday, out of 25 thousand tests conducted. Health Minister Nelu Tataru says that it is not the case, at present, for Romania to declare a state of emergency again, but confirms the country is going through a difficult time.
Nelu Tataru: “As long as we have people who deny the existence of the virus or belittle the three-four months we have been through together, when everybody respected some rules, it will be difficult to overcome this. The Health Ministry and the media should keep informing people on the developments and show them the real face of the coronavirus infection. We are going through a difficult time. If Romania were the only country in this situation, we could say we are subjective. But if we look at Europe and the whole world, we cannot be subjective. ”
According to the Health Minister, the state of alert will be kept in place in Romania until the number of infections starts to decrease. There are 132 testing facilities at national level with a daily capacity of around 20 thousand tests, which could be increased to 28 thousand. There will be epidemiological investigations for every newly confirmed infection and all contacts will be identified. People with symptoms will be hospitalized and those without symptoms will be kept in hospital for 48 hours for medical checks, and then isolated at their residence. People must wear face masks in enclosed spaces, wash hands and keep the safety distance. (Translated by Elena Enache)
