Opinions & Interviews
Belarus declares fourth pandemic wave
An archive photo
MINSK, 20 September (BelTA) - The fourth wave of COVID-19 has reached Belarus, Healthcare Minister Dmitry Pinevich told the media on 20 September, BelTA has learned.
“First of all, we have predicted it. According to the course of the epidemic, this wave should have come. It overlaps our classic seasonal epidemiological situation, typical of Belarus during this time of the year. Unfortunately, unfavorable weather conditions contribute to the current situation. That is why we have recorded an increase in morbidity. It goes almost at the highest figures, which were previously recorded,” said Dmitry Pinevich.
According to him, “the problem is that these high figures are repeated from day to day, including the index of hospitalizations”.
Dmitry Pinevich assured that “there is no emergency”, but the situation requires all the efforts from the healthcare system.
The minister said that vaccination would help deal with this wave of COVID-19 in the first place. “I took a look at patients with severe symptoms - there are no vaccinated people in intensive care units,” said Dmitry Pinevich.
He emphasized that by vaccinating, people protect not only themselves, but also those around them. “You are contributing to defeating this pandemic,” the minister added.
“Once again, I take this opportunity to urge everyone to make a conscious choice to get vaccinated. There are enough vaccines. There are different vaccines. We are waiting for you at vaccination sites so we do not see you at this or that hospital,” he said.
On 20 September the healthcare minister paid a visit to the 10th Minsk Clinical Hospital which has accumulated great experience in responding to COVID-19 pandemic. “The number of oxygen points has been recently increased in the hospital. We have deployed quite a number of intensive care units,” he said.
The minister asked the workers of the hospital whether there were enough supples of medicines, consumables, and also thanked the staff for their work.
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