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Coronavirus in Romania: overcrowded clinics, shortage of oxygen

2021-10-20T14:59:25.547Z


Doctors in Romania speak of "apocalyptic" conditions: Corona patients are treated in hallways and in tents. Russia is calling for a week off to contain Corona. The countries are united by the low vaccination rate.


Enlarge image

Medical staff in Bucharest look after Covid-19 patients in a mobile intensive care unit (photo taken on October 7th)

Photo:

DANIEL MIHAILESCU / AFP

The corona situation is worsening in Romania.

In the past 24 hours, more people have died of or with corona in Romania than in the entire EU in the same period: 574. In the Bucharest University Hospital, there was at times even no more space in the cold room of the morgue.

The Bucharest doctor Victoria Arama, President of the Romanian Society for Vaccination Strategies and Health Promotion, described the situation in the Matei Balş hospital as "apocalyptic".

Covid patients would wait in the courtyard to even get a seat in the emergency room.

The oxygen devices are scarce, which is why patients sometimes push themselves to get oxygen, the doctor describes according to a report by the Agerpres news agency.

Undertaker Sebastian Cocos from Ploieşti told the Reuters news agency that it is currently not easy to provide coffins for the many funerals.

"We had families here who had to bury four people in two weeks," said Cocos.

1799 Covid-19 patients are currently being treated nationwide in intensive care - sometimes in hospital corridors, in containers, tents and ambulances.

There are only 1668 places in intensive care units.

Romania has already sent 30 seriously ill patients to neighboring Hungary.

On Wednesday, the death rate from the coronavirus was the highest worldwide: 19 per million inhabitants, calculated the portal "ourworldindata.org".

The 14-day incidence of around 859 new infections is among the highest in the EU.

President Klaus Iohannis wanted to adopt stricter precautionary measures together with the government on Wednesday evening.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has promised help with hospital equipment as well as with education to promote vaccination readiness.

Romania's vaccination rate is one of the lowest in the EU: only around a third of the population has full vaccination protection.

At the same time, precautionary rules are only sparsely monitored.

The bourgeois ruling party PNL recently held a party congress with 5000 delegates in the presence of the head of state Iohannis.

The police subsequently imposed a fine on PNL for violating the distance rules and mask requirement.

Russia: Non-working week should contain Corona

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin ordered a week off from the end of October.

From October 30th to November 7th, workers across Russia should stay at home, but continue to receive their wages.

Regions in which the situation is particularly bad can therefore also extend the period.

With days off, Putin tried to get the corona situation under control at the beginning of the pandemic.

Criticism came from business in particular that the crisis was being carried out on their backs.

Russia has recorded new highs in the corona numbers in recent weeks.

On Wednesday, the statistics showed 1,028 corona deaths within 24 hours - more than ever before.

In the same period, more than 34,000 new infections were counted.

In 27 of the total of 85 Russian regions, more than 90 percent of the corona beds in the hospitals are now occupied, said Vice Prime Minister Golikova.

According to a report in the daily newspaper »Kommersant«, in some places all beds intended for corona patients are occupied.

Putin also complained about the "unfortunately not yet high" vaccination rate in the country.

In the largest country in the world in terms of area, which has several vaccines of its own, many people are still skeptical.

According to official information, only just under a third of the total of 146 million Russians are fully vaccinated.

wbr / dpa / rtr

Source: spiegel

All life articles on 2021-10-20

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