COVID-19 infections among healthcare workers in Romania have dropped by 87.7% after vaccination, according to data made public by RO Vaccinare - the official national platform for information on COVID-19 vaccination. The average number of new coronavirus cases dropped from about 500 to less than 50 per week.

“The impact of vaccination in this population group can be observed by a substantial decrease in the incidence rate of COVID-19 cases, by over 87.7% in the last four weeks. This means considerable benefits in reducing SARS-Cov-2 infection among medical and social workers,” RO Vaccinare said in a Facebook post.

The healthcare workers were included in the first phase of the national vaccination campaign, which started on December 27 in Romania. By February 14, of the approximately 250,000 people eligible for vaccination in this category, 89.96% were vaccinated with two vaccine doses and 98.84% with one dose.

In related news, Valeriu Gheorghita, the coordinator of the national vaccination campaign, said that, so far, about 3,500 to 3,600 people got infected with COVID-19 after getting the first dose of the vaccine. However, he also noted that there were “very few cases” of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 after the second dose.

“In numbers, there are basically 3,500 to 3,600 people, which is a very small number compared to almost 700,000 people already vaccinated,” Gheorghita said, according to Agerpres.

Romania is also planning to launch waiting lists for people who want to get the COVID-19 vaccine. According to Valeriu Gheorghita, these lists will most likely be implemented in mid-March.

“We want them to be available as soon as possible. […] The deadline is March 15. So, from March 15, these waiting lists should be available because they should already be operational when we open all vaccination centers in April,” Gheorghita said, quoted by News.ro.

He previously explained that the waiting list would be created in the online platform currently used for vaccine appointments. “When signing up on the platform, a person opts to enter the waiting list, selects a vaccination center, and will see how many people have already signed up on the list. Once a spot opens up, people on the waiting list will be notified by text message and email, and they will have 24 hours to book an appointment at the center they have opted for,” Valeriu Gheorghita said last week.

A total of over 715,000 people received the COVID-19 vaccine in Romania by Tuesday, February 16. About 234,000 people got the first dose, while 481,341 received both doses. 

Meanwhile, over 3,000 common and minor side effects have been reported in the country since December 27 (when the vaccination campaign started in the country), such as pain near the site of the injection, fever, headache, or muscle or joint pain.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Guvernul Romaniei)