Radio România Internațional

Tag: intensive

  • More resources for emergency assistance

    More resources for emergency assistance

    In Europe, the number of new coronavirus cases stays up, and ICUs are filled with patients. The WHO has repeatedly warned against the overcrowding of healthcare systems, especially in Europe.



    This week Romania has reported a record high number of coronavirus-related deaths, over 200 in 24 hours. On the other hand, this week also saw the lowest number of patients admitted into hospitals for the past month. Around 12,000 people are now hospitalised across the country, of whom some 1,200 in intensive care.



    In the capital Bucharest, all intensive therapy units are full, which required the emergency transfer of some patients to other parts of the country. Four patients in serious condition were taken to Suceava, in the north, by a military aircraft on Tuesday, and from there they were taken by ambulance to Botoşani (north-west). This is not the first time that patients in critical condition have been relocated. Last month Botoşani County was one of the counties in Moldavia to receive critical COVID-19 patients.



    Still, hospitals are overcrowded there as well. The authorities say they are making constant efforts to extend the capacity of the units treating coronavirus patients. They promise an increase in the number of ICU beds in Bucharest.



    Following the budget adjustment operated on Tuesday, the Hospital Administration announced that funding has been provided for another approx.. 50 ICU beds in 3 hospitals in the capital city.



    On Tuesday, president Klaus Iohannis assessed the situation jointly with the interim PM, Nicolae Ciucă, and with the health minister Nelu Tătaru. At the end of the meeting, the head of state announced that hundreds of ventilators and a first batch of rapid diagnostic tests will soon be delivered to hospitals across the country.



    Klaus Iohannis: “There are about 300 ventilators to be supplied in the next few days, and the capacity of intensive care units will be extended accordingly. Within a week, we will also receive a first batch out of the 3 million RDTs that have already been ordered. In order to help the patients with severe forms of the disease, around 500 oxygen concentrators are already being set up.



    The list of hospitals receiving COVID-19 patients has been repeatedly broadened across the country, and as the number of critical cases went up, the number of beds in intensive care units was also increased several times. (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Intensive care units, under pressure

    Intensive care units, under pressure

    The recent surge in the number of coronavirus infection cases in Europe may lead, in a few weeks time, to the overcrowding of intensive care units. This is the warning coming from the World Health Organisation against the backdrop of the growing number of COVID-19 hospitalisations.



    Romania is currently experiencing the most difficult period since the start of the healthcare crisis in late February, with record-high numbers of cases and of patients in intensive care. Specifically, last week the number of new daily cases was around 4,000, with the capital city Bucharest ranking first by number of COVID-19 patients. Also, the number of patients in ICUs at national level is around 750.



    The Bucharest prefect Gheorghe Cojanu has already announced that there are no more available beds in dedicated hospitals. As a result, the decision was made that as of Monday another hospital, Colentina, would receive Sars-Cov-2 patients exclusively.



    Gheorghe Cojanu: “In Bucharest there are no more beds available in ICUs. This is a rather serious problem, which is why [state secretary] Raed Arafat announced us that a document has already been signed, for Colentina hospital to be exclusively receiving COVID-19 patients. So there will be 300 – 400 beds available for these patients. Also, Elias hospital has a modular unit which has been operating on short periods, because they did not have medical staff on a permanent basis, and an order has been given for Floreasca and Elias hospitals to provide medical staff to that unit.



    According to prefect Gheorghe Cojanu, the physicians and nurses working in the schools that have switched to online classes and no longer work directly with children will be transferred to coronavirus hospitals.



    Iaşi, the largest city in the east of Romania, is facing the same problems as Bucharest does. In Iaşi as well, all ICUs are full. Of the total number of 41 intensive care beds, the last 10 were occupied this weekend. The solution, i.e. 24 additional beds, was supposed to be a mobile hospital opened on Friday, but the oxygen generator broke down and it may take around 2 weeks to fix it. Meanwhile, local authorities have decided to open 2 intensive care units for Covid-19 patients in other hospitals in the region. But until these are operational, severe cases will be transferred to other medical units in the country. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

  • Romania’s Healthcare Minister has again cautioned against the novel coronavirus

    Romania’s Healthcare Minister has again cautioned against the novel coronavirus

    Romania has
    lately seen an increase in the number of Covid-19 infections although the chart
    of the daily infections has hit a certain ceiling. Pundits believe the main
    problem is the pressure exerted upon the country’s healthcare system whose specialised
    personnel are tired and scarce. The
    daily death toll has also increased from one day to another and so has the
    number of those in need of intensive care to survive the severe forms of
    Covid-19. Health Minister Nelu Tataru believes the number of infections will
    increase in the next week mainly because of the holiday season.




    Nelu
    Tataru: With the holiday season in full
    swing now we are presently dealing with a higher number of cases. We are doing
    a lot of tests and consequently we expect many of these to be positive. We must
    clinically deal with these positive tests, and address the medium and severe,
    which are going to need intensive care treatment, where our resources are
    limited.




    Romania
    presently has 100 places in intensive care units fitted with ventilators. In
    this context, the minister has pointed out that prevention rules must be
    observed in order to limit the spreading of the virus. He has voiced hope that
    people have understood the importance of this moment and are no longer
    minimizing the situation.




    As long as
    we have new cases, the medical personnel that we now rely on will be
    overwhelmed. And since prevention rules aren’t observed, we can only handle
    what we get in hospitals. We have a limit, the minister says adding that a
    pandemic is not stopped in hospitals but outside them.




    The
    minister has also recalled that the government had to also handle a period of
    legislation vacuum during which over 46 hundred people infected refused hospitalisation
    and left hospitals. Authorities are now trying to identify these people in
    order to conduct epidemiological investigations. Those showing symptoms are
    being hospitalised, while those who do not have symptoms are being tested by
    paramedics and other mobile units and isolated at home.




    In another
    development, a monograph titled ‘The Covid-19 pandemic in Romania – Clinical
    and epidemiological aspects’ was released on Thursday by the Romanian Academy
    Publishing House. Attending the event, the country’s Health Minister underlined
    the support offered by the Academy is essential and gave assurances the medical
    personnel are doing their job in spite of the fatigue they are currently
    experiencing.




    According
    to Horatiu Moldovan, state secretary with the Ministry of Healthcare, the
    volume represents a major element of scientific research, which comes to
    indisputably prove and endorse the measures taken during the pandemic in
    Romania. The work also includes a synthesis of scientific data gleaned
    internationally and corroborated with clinical expertise and research of some
    of the most reputed scientists Romania has.




    (translated by bill)