A rise in the number of COVID-19 cases is expected in August-September due to the Delta variant and also to the new Lambada variant of the virus that is very contagious and causes serious forms of disease and deaths. Vaccination is the most efficient form of preventing infection, serious and very serious forms and deaths, epidemiologist Angela Paraschiv, head of the Expert Epidemiology Commission of the Ministry of Health, told a news conference, being quoted by IPN.

The risk of infection with the new strains is very high as the people travel in a large number in summer, including outside the country. A large pat part of the new cases of infection in Moldova are imported. The situation concerning infection with the new strains is alarming in Russia, stated Angela Paraschiv.

For his part, Denis Cernelea, secretary of state at the Ministry of Health, said that among the European states the situation is most worrisome in Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal and the UK.

According to the functionary, the number of cases of COVID-19 in Moldova during the last seven days rose by 22% on a week before. 45% of the cases were recorded in the Transnistrian region. Of the 179 infected persons that are now in hospitals, 75 are in a serious or very serious state.  

14.5% of Moldova’s population has been immunized with the first dose of COVID-19 so far. 9.16% got both of the doses. The data do not include the Moldovans who got vaccinated abroad. The vaccination rate in the healthcare sector is of over 90%, while among education sector employees is of 55%.

Epidemiologist Veaceslav Guțu said 0.08% of the vaccinated persons developed the disease. The AstraZeneca vaccine was 83% used, Pfizer – 99.9%, Sinopharm – 11.9%, while Sinovac – 62%. The persons aged between 18 and 40 are mostly unwilling to get a vaccine.