Monday

2nd Oct 2023

Romania's Covid 'fourth wave' surpasses first outbreak

  • The weekly trend now puts Romania ahead of all other EU member states and sixth worldwide (Photo: General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations Romania)
Listen to article

Romania's fourth-wave of Covid-19 risks making it the new 'Lombardy of Europe', in terms of both deaths and new infections.

The country's National Committee for the Coordination of Activities on Covid Vaccination (CNCAV) sent out a warning over social media about the Covid death rate and the new record of daily Covid cases.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

According to data compiled by Worldometer, at European level, Romania is second only to Russia - a country with a population more than seven times greater - in terms of Covid deaths over the past seven days.

The weekly trend now puts Romania ahead of all other EU member states and sixth worldwide, as confirmed by Romania's CNCAV.

The data corresponds to a 24-hour period - 28 September - when Romania registered another first: the highest number of daily new Covid cases since the pandemic began over 18 months ago.

With a total record of over 11,000 daily Covid cases, Romania significantly outpaces both the European and world average.

"Romania has 2.65 times more deaths than the European average and 6.34 times more deaths than the world average. Casualties in Romania today (28 September) represent five-percent of worldwide Covid deaths, and 11.5 percent of those registered in Europe over the 24-hour period.", reported CNCAV.

Healthcare specialists have been warning for several weeks that the next Covid wave will hit the country hardest. Epidemiology expert Alexandru Rafila said that Romania has one of the highest contagion-rates in Europe.

"We will exceed significantly the number of cases registered in wave three and this will have some dramatic consequences. The fourth wave of the pandemic will last at least until mid-November and may have a greater impact than previous ones.", the healthcare specialist said.

Valeriu Gheorghiță, head of the CNCAV, stated that by approximate the second-half of October, the number of Covid-19 cases in Romania could surpass 20,000 per day.

Compounding and contributing to the problem, Romania has one of the lowest vaccination-rates in the EU. According to data provided by the CNCAV, 52-percent of all Europeans are fully vaccinated. Fully-vaccinated Romanians, by comparison, amount to only 28 percent.

Institutional failure

According to data provided by researchers at the Babes-Bolyai University, Romania was the first in the EU to lift restrictions and relax other measures, but next-to-last in terms of vaccination rates.

Plummeting vaccine interest in Romania comes from a long-standing mistrust in authorities, vaccine-scepticism, plus officials' poor approach in dealing with the virus. A survey carried at the end of last year showed that the majority of Romania have little-to-no trust in authorities.

Recently, upping the feelings of uncertainty, an ex-minister of health claimed that the number of Covid cases had been watered-down - to allow for a weekend political gathering organised by the ruling National Liberal party.

The healthcare system is overwhelmed, with almost no ICU beds left, and long waiting times for Covid-testing and results. Romania's medical care has been consistently ranked EU's worst and most under-financed.

Complicating things further, Romania's ongoing political crisis has no end in sight and seems more convoluted by the day.

"We need to overcome the political gridlock. We need authorities to be able to fight the coronavirus, as well as rising gas and electricity prices", Iulius Marian Firczak MP told EUobserver

There are currently not one, but two, motions of no-confidence up for debate awaiting a parliamentary vote, a minority government clinging on for life, and a myriad of both medical and economic crises needing immediate response.

Author bio

Cristian Gherasim is a freelance journalist contributing to EUobserver, Euronews, EU Reporter, Katoikos, Von Mises Institute, and bne IntelliNews, with a particular focus on European and regional affairs.

Romania selling on its jabs, despite low vaccination rates

Europe's least-vaccinated countries are in no short supply of Covid-19 jabs - and yet Romania and Bulgaria are both looking for opportunities to sell or donate their excess vaccines which they are not able to administer to their own population.

Romania: Inside the EU's worst healthcare, as virus hits

The country's lack of investment in the medical system, widespread corruption, politically-appointed hospital managers and staff shortages (as droves of doctors and nurses left to work in other European countries), severely weakened Romania's ability to deal with an emergency.

Romania reaches historic high in Covid deaths

The macabre scenes, with town halls across the country using excavators to dig burial plots for recently Covid-deceased, as cemeteries and undertakers can no longer cope, has led to a surge in those wanting to vaccinate.

Opinion

Time for a reset: EU regional funding needs overhauling

Vasco Alves Cordeiro, president of the European Committee of the Regions, is advocating a revamp of the EU's regional policy so that it better supports all regions in addressing major challenges such as the green and digital transitions.

Opinion

How do you make embarrassing EU documents 'disappear'?

The EU Commission's new magic formula for avoiding scrutiny is simple. You declare the documents in question to be "short-lived correspondence for a preliminary exchange of views" and thus exempt them from being logged in the official inventory.

Latest News

  1. EU ministers go to Kyiv to downplay fears on US, Slovak aid
  2. Hoekstra faces tough questioning to be EU Green chief
  3. Frontex shared personal data of NGO staff with Europol six times
  4. Why EU Commission dumped Google's favourite consultant
  5. Slovak's 'illiberal' Fico victory boosts Orbán, but faces checks
  6. European Political Community and key media vote This WEEK
  7. Is the ECB sabotaging Europe's Green Deal?
  8. The realists vs idealists Brussels battle on Ukraine's EU accession

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  2. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators, industry & healthcare experts at the 24th IMDRF session, September 25-26, Berlin. Register by 20 Sept to join in person or online.
  3. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  4. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  5. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators & industry experts at the 24th IMDRF session- Berlin September 25-26. Register early for discounted hotel rates
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations
  2. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  3. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  4. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us