Radio România Internațional

Tag: intensive care

  • The danger of the Delta variant

    The danger of the Delta variant

    The number of new infections with SARS-Cov-2 has almost tripled in two weeks alone in Romania. A record number of cases has been reported, putting pressure on intensive care units which are already full in many medical units. Little over 800 hospital beds are currently available for patients in critical condition, and almost all have already been occupied. Authorities are struggling to double the number of hospital beds, as thousands of people infected are being treated in medical units and their number keeps growing. Among them are minors, some of them with severe symptoms.



    The National Public Health Institute has announced that the Delta variant of the virus is more and more frequent, accounting for over 40% of infections and is expected to spread fast. Coronavirus hotbeds have also been reported and additional protection measures have been taken in a number of localities, after an alarming increase in the number of cases. According to the head of the mass vaccination campaign, Valeriu Gheorghita, the Delta variant spreads faster than previous variants, which makes authorities expect an overwhelming number of infections. According to statistics, one in two Romanians is vulnerable to the virus, for not being vaccinated or nor having had the disease.



    The main danger is the fact that the Delta variant spreads faster and generates more severe forms of the disease, affecting mostly people who have not been vaccinated. Valeriu Gheorghita: “Unfortunately, we see an increasing number of people who need intensive care in a rather short time, which is worrying from my viewpoint. Of the people diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2, over 80% of those infected and more than 92% of those who died from it, did not get immunized.”



    Authorities say that under these circumstances, vaccination, mask wearing and avoiding crowded places continue to be the best protection measures against the disease. Valeriu Gheorghita hopes that a third dose of the anti-Covid vaccine will be administered as of October, following a decision of the European Medicine Agency. The pace of the mass vaccination campaign in Romania continues to be slow, in spite of numerous calls for vaccination from experts and authorities. A little over 5.2 million Romanians have been fully vaccinated, which is one third of the eligible population. (EE)

  • Romanian healthcare system, overwhelmed

    Romanian healthcare system, overwhelmed

    The Romanian healthcare system has been under huge pressure for months, and great efforts have been made to assist all people infected with Covid-19. It is not only the big number of patients that burdens the system, but also a number of systemic problems that have been left unsolved for years.



    The intensive care units in Bucharest can no longer take in patients, so a big number of people infected with Covid-19, who are in a serious condition, have been transferred to hospitals in Moldavia, northeastern Romania, by plane. Bucharest has been, for weeks, the Romanian city that reported most coronavirus cases. PM Ludovic Orban has announced that the intensive care capacity in Bucharest will be increased next week by 47 beds, 30 of them at a private hospital and 17 at public hospitals. However, it is not only the capital city that is faced with a shortage of intensive care beds.



    There is also another pressing problem – that of insufficient staff. In the south-western county of Mehedinti, which has reported a record number of new infections in the past few days, doctors say there are times when patients in a serious condition are being brought by turn to the ICU, to receive oxygen. Doctors have once again called on people to respect the social distance and wear a mask.



    Another measure taken by the authorities is the adoption of an emergency order regarding telemedicine. Health Minister Nelu Tataru has explained that the legal framework had to be modified to allow the provision of remote clinical services, via real-time two-way communication between the patient and the doctor. Thus, according to the authorities, patients will have easier access to medical services and waiting lists will be shorter. Also, telemedicine can limit the spread of the virus by reducing direct interaction, the authorities also say.



    The pandemic has also had a devastating impact on chronic patients in Romania, due to additional pressure on a medical system that was already overwhelmed. This is the conclusion of a report dubbed “The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the chronic patients’ access to healthcare services in Romania”. Thus, the number of hospitalisations dropped by 48% in the first half of this year as against the same period of last year. People suffering from HIV — AIDS and diabetes are most affected. Hospitalisation dropped due to the fact that the access of chronic patients to healthcare services was much more difficult in the context of measures taken to contain the spread of the virus. (Translated by Elena Enache)