Hospitals and doctors’ offices are being invaded by patients who present with respiratory symptoms and are diagnosed with COVID-19. “The number will continue to grow, because no one respects anything anymore,” says a family doctor indignantly.
Avalanche of positive results in the COVID-19 tests in hospitals and offices PHOTO: archive
In the last week, 5,370 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were registered in Romania, 55.8% more than the previous week, according to data from the National Institute of Public Health.
Although the forms of the disease are not serious, the contagiousness is very high, doctors say, and the danger is that the virus reaches patients who suffer from other diseases and for whom the “common virus” can be even fatal.
The spectacular increase in the number of cases, doctors say, has a simple explanation. “Nothing is respected anymore. We were afraid during the pandemic, now we’re not anymore”, says family doctor Viorel Rădulescu. There are patients who have been tested and who know they have the virus, but who don’t even report it. “They come to the cabinet and don’t say they have, we find out from the reporting system (n. ed. – in the case of those who were tested in other offices)”, says the family doctor. Dr. Rădulescu draws attention to the fact that, although most patients get over the SARS-COV-2 infection relatively easily, there are cases in which complications occur, and these can be pulmonary, cardiac, neurological, muscular, etc.
“They are not serious forms, but it is much more contagious than beforethis strain is very contagious”, added doctor Rădulescu.
On the other hand, the updated methodology regarding the surveillance of the acute syndrome with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) no longer obliges the patient to stay in isolation, even if the same methodology states that “a case is considered infectious 2 days before onset and another 7 days after onset”.
The family doctor can prescribe medical leave for a maximum of one week, and if the patient has not recovered, he must go to the specialist doctor to extend the medical leave. Doctors say that even an update of the plan of measures would be required, so that the number of infections can be kept under control.
Special COVID sector within the Pediatrics section
Most patients who arrive at the hospital and are hospitalized are children and the elderly.
At the Emergency Reception Unit of the Slatina County Emergency Hospital, approximately 200 patients are presented daily. 50 of them are tested for COVID, and 10-15 are positive, says the hospital manager, Angela Nicolae. In addition to the COVID sector within the Infectious Diseases section, a similar sector was also established within the Pediatrics section, given the large number of cases. In addition, within each ward there are rooms where patients who, in addition to the underlying disease, also have a positive test for SARS-CoV-2 can be isolated.
“Cases are more common at extreme ages. In children – infants we have more – there are medium and mild manifestations, but which require hospitalization in order to comply with a treatment protocol and ensure optimal rebalancing of the infant, and in adults the forms that are hospitalized are in elderly patients, with associated pathology and evolves depending on the pre-existing pathology as well”, said the epidemiologist from SJU Slatina, Cătălin Pătru. Although at this time there are no patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Intensive Care in the hospital in Slatina, in recent weeks there have been such cases, Dr. Pătru also stated.
The increase in the number of cases also required the adoption of several administrative measures. Thus, there are visiting restrictions at the level of the Pediatrics section, where a part of the section was isolated in order to make a sector where the cases of COVID can be treated. Also in Pediatrics, day hospitalizations were suspended, so that cases other than respiratory could be admitted to the former day hospitalization sector.
“In the sections where cases are detected, visitor access is temporarily limited and standard precautions or contact precautions are instituted, depending on the case or the number of cases”, added epidemiologist Cătălin Pătru.
Because almost half of the total number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 at SJU Slatina are small children, the epidemiologist is appealing to parents. “They should go to the doctor, do everything they can to protect themselves, because babies don’t go out into the community to get infected, they get the disease from their parents. And they should take care to protect themselves, respiratory, and to test themselves as soon as possible if they have symptoms”, said the doctor.
“We have at Caracal the medicine with which Joe Biden was also treated”
The treatment of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 is prescribed according to a protocol developed in 2022, the epidemiologist Cătălin Pătru also stated. The specialist doctor is the one who decides, depending on the form of the disease, the days that have passed since the onset, other diseases that the patient suffers from and which may increase the risk of developing a severe form of the disease, etc., if administration is also required of antiviral drugs.
“Antivirals are still the same, I couldn’t say that there are any changes. The decision is that of the attending physician depending on the particularities of the case. Some of the antivirals also have some contraindications, they also have some precautions, especially for certain pathologies, and it is always good to take all factors into account”, added the doctor.
The necessary medicines are also provided at the Caracal Municipal Hospital. The infectious disease doctor Daniel Anțoș says that currently patients with moderate forms of the disease are hospitalized, and those for whom there is an indication also receive antivirals. “We have at Caracal the medicine with which Joe Biden was treated last week”, said Dr. Antoș. The drug Paxlovid shortens the period of manifestation of the disease, speeding up healing.
“No one asks us about the vaccine anymore”
A topic avoided by patients has become that of the anti-COVID vaccination. “No one asks us anymore”say all the doctors I talked to.
On the DSP Olt website, instead, the information appears that patients who wish to be vaccinated can contact the institution (a telephone number is also published), with a vaccination center still operating at the county level.
I called the phone number listed and found out that we can make a vaccination appointment, that one type of vaccine is available, but there should be three requests, for minimal product loss. However, requests, at least in recent weeks, have been completely absent.
