Coronavirus Chronicle in Moldova: Situation Getting out of Control

Marina DRAGALIN For two days in a row Moldova was breaking the anti-records number of newly infected people this week; thus, it confidently stepped over the psychological thousand cases mark. Of particular concern is the unique 32% indicator of positive tests that has no analogues in the world. The new type of coronavirus has already infected almost 35 million people worldwide. More than a million people have died. The pandemic, as forecasts predicted, has increased within the spreading rate since the beginning of autumn. Record data on infection get registered around the world. Many European countries as for example, Italy, Czech Republic, Slovakia get back to emergency regimes and extend them. The situation is gradually getting out of control in Moldova. More than 54 thousand infection cases have already been confirmed and 1336 people have died. On Wednesday and Thursday, Moldova beat its own anti-records for the number of infections detected per day. The last September figure broke the one thousand cases psychological ceiling and reached 1013 people. October immediately broke the last record registering 1022 cases. At the same time, even the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection officially declares that the number of infected people may be higher than established. “Naturally, there may be people with no symptoms, and we do not even know they are being near us. There are so many people who really do not have any clinical manifestations and under these conditions it is very difficult identifying them. In addition, they are the ones to spread the infection,” the Minister of Health, Viorica Dumbraveanu emphasizes. It should be underlined that such a sharp number of detected cases increase is not associated with an increase in daily tests performing, as has often been observed in other countries. It was the proportion of positive tests that increased to supercritical 32%. According to experts, such a high percentage of positive tests shows that the infection spreads almost unhindered. “The higher the positive percentage, the more alarming the situation is. As a rule, the threshold of 5% is already considered overstated. In May, the World Health Organization recommended that the positive percentage remain below 5% for at least two weeks before governments consider reopening borders,” former Health Minister Ala Nemerenco commented. Just for comparison, the similar indicator in New York this week was at the level of 1%, in California - 2.9%, in Mexico and Nigeria - about 15%. According to WHO recommendations, to be able easing social restrictions and allow people gathering, the country needs to lower the proportion of positive tests below 5%; this is the indicator demonstrating control over virus transmission. The fast increasing number of cases has significantly amplified burden on the already “exhausted” healthcare system. According to the latest data, medical institutions can barely cope with the influx of patients and are forced to repurpose other departments for patients with COVID. Along with the sharp increase in the number of infected, the high number of patients with a severe form of the disease is another problem. To improve management of such patients, it was decided to create an online coordination platform. Now, the treatment of severe patients, as well as decisions on each case, including the transfer to another institution, will be carried out through consultations with specialists from other hospitals. At the same time, despite the fact that public health emergency has been introduced in 26 administrative territorial units of Moldova since October 1, there are no signs of particular control tightening or enhanced quarantine measures. In his comments on the new outbreak, Moldovan President Igor Dodon noted that it is the result of the resumed educational process, and reassured that the health care system will cope with it – allegedly, it has everything necessary for this. The head of state also stressed that he does not believe that there are reasons to suspend studies or economic activities. He stated that the only way out of the current situation is a vaccine and expressed the hope that Moldova will receive vaccinations before the New Year. At the same time, the PAS party urgently demands that the current authorities provide an action plan to combat the pandemic for the next six months. The leader of the formation, Maia Sandu, accused the government of “having capitulated, leaving people to fend for themselves”. “The Dodon government has long been doing nothing to combat the pandemic. The situation is getting worse and worse. The only thing this government is doing is counting the number of cases and deaths,” Sandu said indignantly. In turn, the Pro Moldova group even came up with a legislative initiative, according to which all costs of treating patients with COVID-19 at home during the declared public health emergency should be fully reimbursed by the state. On the brink of the electoral processes, the epidemiological situation seems to be considered, first of all, solely as a reason for winning voters’ sympathy. At the same time, the registered indicators of the epidemic evolvement in the country should urge authorities to revise management decisions and take appropriate steps. The country’s resources, especially human, are not endless. More and more health workers are out of service every day. Only yesterday, 86 coronavirus cases were confirmed among the healthcare employees, of which 20 (!) are doctors. We can only hope that the system collapse will be delayed until the end of the electoral processes, and later on the situation will be taken under control.