COVID-19 ROMANIA – A little over 14 thousand new cases of
COVID-19 infection were reported on Sunday in Romania, in addition to 22
related fatalities. Compared to previous waves, the rate of hospitalization of
people who got infected is much lower, authorities say. Some 600 people are
currently in intensive care. The authorities expect the infection rate to
continue to rise in following days, which will in turn determine a rise in the
rate of bed occupation across hospitals. In the worst-case scenario, Romania
could report as many as 70 thousand daily infections in February. At present,
the incidence rate in Bucharest has reached 9.50 per thousand inhabitants.
Starting Sunday, people from Bucharest and Ilfov can test for COVID-19 in 20
medical units, with an additional 8 expected to open next week. The measure
follows an announcement made by the Ambulance Service, who said the number of
people calling for COVID testing has increased alarmingly, causing delays of up
to 72 hours in the arrival of testing teams. Over 8 million Romanians have so
far received at least one shot of the anti-COVID vaccine.
COVID-19 WORLD – The United
States, the largest donor to the World Health Organization, continues to oppose
proposals for a larger independence of the WHO, officials involved in
negotiations have announced. The proposal stipulates an increase in the annual
financial contribution of each member state as part of a broader plan to reform
the Organization in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The US Government opposes
the reform because it doubts the WHO will have the capacity to face future
threats, including from China. In other news, the Omicron variant has become
dominant in Europe, without however provoking an increase in the number of ICU
hospitalizations. On Saturday, Poland announced a record-high number of
infections, nearly 41 thousand. Russia too announced 57 thousand infections,
the highest since the pandemic began. Italy reported 171 thousand new cases. In
turn, the United Kingdom also reported 76 thousand infections in a single day,
which confirms the downward trend of the incidence rate in this country.
UNION – Romania will mark 163
years since the Union of the Romanian Principalities on Monday by means of
various events. On January 24, 1859, Alexandru Ioan Cuza was proclaimed ruler
of the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, voted by the Elective Assembly
in Bucharest. Cuza’s rule (1859-1866) laid the foundations of modern Romania
through radical reforms. Cuza adopted the Civil and Criminal Codes and created
a national army. It also introduced mandatory primary education and founded the
first universities. Cuza was forced to step down and go into exile in 1866. His
successor was King Charles I of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. His
long rule wound earn Romania its independence from the Ottoman Empire. In 1918,
King Ferdinand the Unifier completed the nation-building process by uniting the
territories with a Romanian majority population in 1918.
STRIKE – The strike at the
Bucharest Municipal Transport Company (STB) continued on Sunday for the fourth
consecutive day, despite having been declared illegal under a court order. The
Company operated at 25% capacity, although hundreds of drivers refused to do
their daily rounds. The STB board decided not to take disciplinary action
against those who wanted to resume work, considering no offenses have been
reported so far. Bucharest Mayor, Nicușor Dan, announced numerous STB employees
lodged complaints on the dedicated hotline, claiming they are intimidated,
threatened and aggressed by trade unions if they choose to return to work. STB
employees say their salary demands have not been solved and call for the
resignation of the company’s director. Representatives of the transporters
trade union have repeatedly claimed this was an independent protest of STB
employees and that it played no part in its organization. (VP)