Health minister Vlad Voiculescu believes that the pandemic situation in Romania will keep worsening in the coming period, amid increased pressure on the COVID-19 hospitals and the rising infection rate. He said that the following weeks would most likely be "the test of a generation" and called for responsible behavior and compliance with the existing restrictions.

"We are entering a period - and this could be the period between the Catholic Easter and the Orthodox Easter - that will probably be the test of a generation, just as, if you will, our grandparents gave the test of their generation in World War II, just as an entire generation was impacted by what happened at the Revolution (e.n. the 1989 Revolution that ended the communist regime in Romania), so in the next period we will see how united, how responsible we can be. And if you want to look at the numbers, responsible behavior in the coming period can save more people than we lost in the Revolution. With responsible behavior, we can overcome a pandemic that comes with costs not only for those who get sick but also those who have to wait to receive the medical treatment they need, and those who have to comply with restrictions, and everyone," Voiculescu said at a press conference, G4media.ro reported.

Doctor Andreea Moldovan, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Health, also called for solidarity and compliance with health protection measures.

"I believe it's important for everyone to understand that we have to follow those rules that we've been talking about for so long […]; I assure you that we continue to strive to find the best solutions for the health system. […] We all have to make an effort because we are all in the same boat," she said.

With a total of 13,714 COVID-19 patients out of whom 1,456 under intensive care (according to the April 4 report), Romania's healthcare system is overwhelmed, and the authorities are constantly trying to find solutions to manage the growing number of cases. Health minister Voiculescu said that more resources would be dedicated to COVID-19 patients.

Romanian officials reported 4,151 new COVID-19 cases on April 4, bringing the total count to 974,375. Almost 872,000 patients were declared cured in Romania so far, while the death toll has risen to over 24,000.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Sabin Cirstoveanu)