A record number of infections with COVID-19 was hit in Moldova on March 17 – 1,916. The number of infections now totals 208,928. Specialists of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection warn that the tendency is negative and the danger hasn’t yet passed.

In a press briefing, secretary of state at the Ministry Tatiana Zatyk said that 5,457 tests were done and 5,042 of them were primary ones. Of the total number of new cases, 884 were confirmed in the municipality of Chisinau. The number of infections in the districts situated close to the capital city remains high.

Of the 4,449 patients with COVID-19 who are now hospitalized, 337 are in a very serious state and 71 of them were put on a ventilator.

“It should be noted that the treatment of persons with COVID-19 is now more troublesome and much longer. What is more serious is that besides the difficult evolution of the disease and the rather difficult treatment, the recovery period is also long and bothersome. This is a reason for concern for everyone,” stated Tatiana Zatyk.

According to her, 76 health workers were confirmed with the infection on Wednesday and this figure is significant. As many as 18,293 health workers have contracted the virus since the start of the pandemic and the infection for 98 of them was lethal.

Thirty-four persons succumbed to the virus on March 17. The death toll from COVID-19 now stands at 4,436. “Mortality has been enormous the last few days. Last week, which is the tenth week of the year, the death rate rose by 35% and this is a lot,” noted the secretary of state.