RSS
HealthMin Tataru: We hope to see a stabilization in the number of COVID-19 cases
The Minister of Health, Nelu Tataru, hopes that the number of COVID-19 infections will stabilize in the next period, in Romania. "We hope that next week we will be able to witness a stabilization in the number of cases and move towards a downward curve, but it is up to all of us to be able to reach this level," the Health Minister told a press conference held in Iasi on Saturday.
"We can manage this number of cases [1,1350 new COVID-19 cases have been recorded in Romania on Saturday - editor's note], but, I repeat, what I have said every time, this problem is not solved in the hospital. This depends on what we do outside the hospitals, in those places where the virus is spreading and the cases of infections are increasing. So I need to say this again that we need to observe the rules, to wear a mask in enclosed areas, on the public transport, at the workplace, in the crowded open spaces. The Emergency Situations Committee decides which are those open spaces and the time span during which the mask should be worn," he said.
According to him, the novel coronavirus infection rate is higher in the counties where tourism is more developed, and also in those counties with the largest numbers of commuters.
"Arges, Dambovita and Prahova are the counties with the highest infection rates right now. In general, the most affected counties are those that have a stronger economic activity and where many people have to commute for work. There follow the counties where tourism is more developed," he told a press conference in Iasi.
Tataru also mentioned that the infection rate was found to be increasing in 15 counties at the last assessment.
According to him, a large number of infections was generated by the disregard of the social distancing rules and protection norms. "We entered the state of alert on May 15 and we introduced relaxation measures. We had such measures that were easy to control. Once with the opening of the open-air bars, we adopted common orders, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Tourism that is. We also had the same orders with the Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Education, which said very clearly what were the norms to be observed. And everybody, including those operating in the HoReCa sector, committed to observing these rules. And if these rules were observed, then we wouldn't have any problems and we wouldn't have an increased communication of the disease. (...) For instance, the seaside is an area where the people go, get infected, and then returned to their home counties and wherefrom the increases in the number of infections," explained Tataru.
În this context, Minister Nelu Tataru informed that the Romanian authorities have asked for ten million COVID-19 vaccines doses from the European Union, as soon as the vaccine is available.
"We have requested 10 million vaccines doses. We want to be sure that we can cover at least 50 per cent of the population. However, we have to wait and see how much we will actually get from the EU from this quantity," the Minister of Health told a press conference.
He specified that the first to get the vaccines will be the persons in the most exposed categories. "The medical staff, the children and the elderly and those with comorbidities must benefit from these vaccines," said Nelu Tataru.