The incidence of Covid-19 cases reached 28 per 1,000 residents in Bucharest on February 5. The number of cases in the capital city surpassed the country-wide record reached in the third wave (Alpha variant) of the pandemic in the spring of 2021.

In Cluj-Napoca, the incidence rate exceeded 30 during last week, and some smaller villages in Timis county reported rates as high as 60 cases per 1,000 residents.

"If only 3% of the new cases need hospitalization, that means 250 hospitalizations a day in the capital city 'alone in 1-2 weeks. Even if Omicron proves to be 'just mere flu' with 1% hospitalizations out of the total number of new cases nationwide, it still means 300+ hospitalizations per day in the next 2 weeks and exceeding the record of hospitalizations in the 4-Delta wave," Octavian Jurma, a medical doctor specializing in neurosciences and actively involved in Covid pandemic monitoring, explained, quoted by Ziarul Financiar. "Under these conditions, we can talk about natural immunization," the researcher concludes.

(Photo: Akvafoto2012/ Dreamstime)

andrei@romania-insider.com