Coronavirus Chronicle in Moldova: Epidemic Noose Tightens

Marina DRAGALIN Despite a partial return to spring quarantine sample measures, COVID-19 continues to actively spread around the world. The second wave of the pandemic is especially strong in the European region, leading in the number of new cases detected This week, fight against the pandemic news did not bring much positive - the virus continues to actively spread, increasing the number of victims every day. The World Health Organization has once again established a new anti-record for the number of new infections per week - 3.6 million. To date, 52 million people have tested COVID-19 positive; out of them more than 1.28 million have died. The rate of the infection area expansion is as well increasing dynamics. For comparison, the past "week’s gain" reached 2.8 million cases. It remains unchanged that most of new cases - about 2 million - and almost half of the deaths were recorded in Europe. In addition, the other day the number of new daily cases set a new "record" identifying more than 641 thousand new patients. This figure, by the way, exceeded 600 thousand for the first time. Sad statistics keep coronavirus at the top of the international agenda. In particular, life after COVID-19 will be the topic of the first Paris Peace Forum day, which traditionally opens in the French capital on the end of the First World War anniversary. The event that is for sure to be held online, will try to find answers to the acute problems that the epidemic has brought to humanity. “The forum participants will have to consider a large number of projects and initiatives originated in different countries. They are designed to contain the onset of the disease and create the basis for safer development in the period after the end of the pandemic,” the Secretary General of the forum, French historian Justin Weiss said. At the same time, the situation on the continent itself continues deteriorating. European countries, as if competing with each other, set anti-records one after another. The most difficult situation, according to experts is in France, which is again being closed for the most severe quarantine. There, tens of thousands of new cases are registered every day while the beds in the intensive care and intensive care wards are running out. Patients in serious condition have been redirected to Germany for the second week. Italy exceeded a million cases this week. Constant anti-records for daily growth and mortality are as well recorded in our Romanian neighbors. The EU has to urgently respond to the coronavirus outbreak while countries face a shortage of necessary safety tools and equipment. Brussels is trying to learn the maximum possible lessons from the current situation and judging by the statements of the European Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides, should be ready for the next pandemics and health emergencies. However, so far, due to severe restrictions on daily life introduction, the EU economy has fallen into the most serious crisis since the Second World War. One of the few good news for the community is the world's first successful completion of a critical phase of a vaccine trial developed by BioNTech (Germany) and Pfizer (USA). Both companies say their vaccine provides more than 90 percent protection against COVID-19. The European Union has already guaranteed itself 300 million doses of this vaccine and signed a 200 million doses purchase contract with an option to purchase another 100 million. Perhaps part of them, as part of humanitarian aid, will be sent to partner countries including Moldova although so far this is a purely hypothetical proposal. Against the background of the EU countries, the situation in Moldova looks difficult but not critical. Anyway, only at first glance. Recently, our country has set another anti-record for the number of new cases detected per day - 1174. And, judging by the chart that crawled up, the next peaks are soon to come. Meanwhile, almost 85 thousand residents have tested positive for the coronavirus and 1950 out them have died. The change in the official data on epidemiological situation presentation can be considered an alarming marker. It all began when the Ministry of Health stopped giving full-fledged weekly data on medical workers who were sick and died from coronavirus, making two calculations mistakes at once. Then, information about the number of patients in serious condition and connected to artificial ventilation devices was removed from daily reports, which immediately caused various rumors in society. It is quite possible that current electoral processes and attempts to remove materials for political speculation from public access could explain these changes. But it is not to rule out that the dynamics of the indicators removed from the reports is too unfavorable, thus a worsening of the situation is predicted. If so, the decision to conceal information is justified by the unwillingness to raise panic until the final resolution of the issue of the next President of Moldova. In any case, it is already obvious that the pandemic will not remain in 2020 and will cross the New Year's line with us: according to experts, it will be possible to stop it only after 70% of the population is vaccinated. And this means that it will not do if sitting out until receiving the vaccine (apparently the only plan of the republic's leadership), and the epidemic and its consequences will have to be fought for more than one month.