HealthMin Tataru: For scenario 4, those affected not isolate if they have family over 65 years old

Health Minister Nelu Tataru, stated that for scenario four of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic there is in view that those who are affected not go into isolation if they have family members over the age of 65, but remain in quarantine, proposals in this sense being made to the Internal Affairs Ministry to be comprised in a future military ordinance.

"We have some proposals that we made to our colleagues in the Internal Affairs Ministry so a future military ordinance be able to comprise this point in which we protect extreme ages and we protect those with comorbidities," said Minister Tataru, in an interview broadcast on Saturday by private broadcaster Digi24.

He added that in scenario 4, testing will be extended to "everyone which is considered medical personnel".

"We have a scenario four in which testing is extended to all staff, everyone who is considered medical personnel, firstly those in contact and symptomatic, then the rest of the personnel. We must protect our medical staff, we must have it fully valid for this scenario (...) We are currently at an average age of patients of 40-49 years old. I saw that we have mortality in persons over the age of 65, but I also saw persons aged 45 or 49. There is an increased pathogenesis of this virus. We must adapt, as medical staff, as Ministry, through equipment, through, I don't know, ensuring anything that means equipment at this moment in the intensive care units in order to control these severe and critical cases," said the Health Minister.

He showed that for phase four of the epidemic the 36 hospitals which are classified as support units will also intervene, bringing an additional 8,000 beds, beside the 2,000-2,300 which are currently used for persons confirmed with coronavirus.

"We are approaching, it's true, scenario four, a scenario which involves treating light to medium cases at home, under medical supervision, sometimes even by volunteers, and in hospital patients with coronavirus and moderate-severe, as well as critical manifestations. The moderate-severe will be in the infectious disease wards, and the critical ones in the intensive care wards, under ventilator or cardiovascular support. We have, also in scenario four, a moment in which the asymptomatic medical personnel, but positive to coronavirus, will remain and treat patients infected with the coronavirus, which are hospitalized. We are thinking of a scenario four in which these support units intervene. If at this moment we have a capacity of 2,000-2,300 beds, once the 36 hospitals plus specialties such as dialysis or other pathologies, which have coronavirus infection, we will bring an additional 8,000 beds," said Minister Tataru.

According to him, these support hospitals will need to bring, beside their share of beds, their share of intensive care equipment.

"At this moment we have a list finalized, after a complete analysis by the DSPs [Public Healthcare Directorate] and the ministry in these units they bring a share of beds, a share of intensive care, and a share of intensive care equipment, because what we are interested in at this time is to be able to support severe and critical cases. Mortality comes from these cases. Equipment is what helps. Oxygen, as was seen in Italy and in Spain, is what maintains an organism's life," Minister Tataru also said.

Scenario four will start once the number of infected persons reaches 2,000. According to the reports on Saturday by the Strategic Communication Group, the number of infections in Romania was 1,452 persons, with 7,801 persons in quarantine and another 131,367 in self-isolation. The number of deaths stood at 37.