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Coronavirus: Hungary is in ascending phase of epidemic
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For almost a week the daily number of new infections has been around a thousand, meaning that we are in the ascending phase of the second wave of the coronavirus epidemic, the Chief Medical Officer said at the Wednesday online press conference of the Operational Group responsible for the fight against the coronavirus epidemic.
Cecília Müller drew attention to the importance of wearing face masks and keeping a safe distance of a metre and a half also in places where this is not specifically required by law. She mentioned as examples visiting relatives, queuing, in lifts, travelling in taxis and weddings.
The Chief Medical Officer said during the second wave of the epidemic it is harder to contain the virus as there is now “communal spread” and patients can be present almost anywhere. She repeatedly highlighted that if anyone observes respiratory symptoms, they should avoid contact with other people, and this also applies to children.
Ms. Müller informed the public that on Tuesday Minister of Human Capacities Miklós Kásler conducted a video conference with hospital directors. At this, they reviewed topical disease control issues, and the Minister asked hospital directors to continue to implement the instructions designed to curb the epidemic with the usual care and discipline.
The Chief Medical Officer said the health care system had been thoroughly prepared for receiving patients;
the bed occupancy rate of hospitals currently stands at 53 per cent.
She stressed that every element of the containment effort was based on a carefully developed plan, and patient routes had been determined with maximum precision. At present, three Budapest hospitals – the South Pest Central Hospital, the Szent János Hospital and the National Korányi Institute for Tuberculosis and Pulmonology – are designated for receiving confirmed moderate to severe coronavirus patients. If necessary, further institutions will be designated for the treatment of coronavirus patients.
The purpose of the centralisation of care is for moderate to severe coronavirus patients to be treated in hospitals where all the necessary conditions, including personnel and technical, are available. Another goal is to reserve so-called “clean” hospitals which do not treat coronavirus patients, she said.