About 3,000-4,000 new cases COVID-19 a day will be predictably recorded in Moldova the next few days, Minister of Health Ala Nemerenco stated in a news conference where she spoke about the new pandemic wave that hit the country, IPN reports.

The minister said the Omicron variant hasn’t yet reached community transmission, but the situation in two-three weeks can be different. Currently, 10% of the new cases are the Omicron variant.  

Over 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed by lab tests on January 11. Such figures were last reported in November 2021. The number of cases among children grew by 50% and this is worrisome.

Ala Nemerenco noted that three scenarios for reopening the COVID-19 wards in hospitals, depending on the alert level, were designed. There are now 1,235 beds available for COVID-19 patients, out of which 215 are for intensive therapy. The COVID Center at Moldexpo, to which patients who tested positive were earlier admitted, will remain conserved. New places will be set up in a number of hospitals to cope with the new wave of COVID-19.  The COVID Center at Moldexpo will be reopened only if there are not enough places.

The wearing of FFP2 masks will not be mandatory in Moldova, as it is in other states. But the wearing of surgical and cloth masks will be encouraged, primarily in crowded places.

The minister said Moldova didn’t buy the Russian vaccine Sputnik because this had a short expiry date.

The National Extraordinary Public Health Commission will come together tomorrow or the day after tomorrow to decide particular restrictions given the new pandemic wave.

Data of the National Public Health Agency show the number of new cases of COVID-10 during January 3-9 rose by 78%, while of deaths caused by the novel coronavirus by 26%. The number of cured patients declined by 36% on a week before.