As many as 143 persons with COVID-19 are in a serious state at the hospital and 12 of them were intubated: seven at the National Clinical Hospital and five at the Emergency Medicine Institute, Minister of Health, Labor and Social Protection Viorica Dumbrăveanu was quoted by IPN as saying after the meeting of the National Focal Point.

According to the minister, 54 persons died from the novel coronavirus so far. A number of 41 persons were discharged on April 16. By now, 276 persons recovered from COVID-19.

In the same press briefing live, the head of the Emergency Admissions Section of “St. Archangel Mikhail” Hospital Veronica Țugulschi stated that the hospital has treated patients with COVID-19 since March 30. As many as 321 patients have been admitted to the section and 160 of them were confirmed with COVID-19. Thirty-one patients were discharged the last few days. At this stage, the doctors are rather well-equipped and were intensely trained to use the medical equipment and to deal with patients with COVID-19. The supplies of antiviral drugs need yet to be increased.

Ala Halacu, head of the Laboratory Diagnosis Division of the National Public Health Agency, said that four doctors and nine specialists with secondary education work in their lab. They use a number of tests, but the WHO recommends using molecular technology-based tests that enable to swiftly identify the virus. The lab has certified test kits provided by China, the WHO and Spain. The rapid tests are recommended at clinical level, being orientative tests showing if the patient had been infected or not. The molecular technology-based tests are used to detect the presence of the virus. Some 70% of the result depends on how the sample was collected, transported, kept and processed.

Of the 9,848 lab tests performed so far, 2019 showed the presence of the novel coronavirus.