Coronavirus: Hungary is in ascending phase of epidemic

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.

• TODAY: Hungary’s total COVID-19 cases top 20,000

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.

In answer to a question, Ms. Müller said

a rise in the quantity of the genetic material of the virus detected in sewage can serve as an important indication regarding the areas where we can expect a rise in the number of patients seven to ten days later.

In connection with the single-use masks worn in schools, she stressed that school personnel are recommended to store them in double-lined bin bags for two days, and following this period, the masks can be disposed of in the normal communal waste. These masks, in contrast to those used in health care, do not qualify as hazardous waste, she added.

In answer to another question, the Chief Medical Officer said the data supply of health care institutions forms part of the disease control monitoring system; institutions have a statutory obligation to provide data as the authority must have up-to-date information about how many health care workers are available for deployment in institutions where they are most needed.

She said it is likewise not a new rule that

general practitioners are also required to report cases suspected of coronavirus infection.

This database is then matched against the laboratory results, and if the suspicion is confirmed, contact tracing may begin and the patient is ordered to remain in quarantine for ten days.

In connection with a question, Ms. Müller highlighted that, luckily, atypical cases are not common during the second wave either; atypical cases are where young, healthy people with no underlying conditions experience severe progression of the disease. She added, however, that

there are a few young people on assisted ventilation who were previously in a good state of health.

The expert also mentioned that, as expected, the vaccine against the seasonal flu will become available in the second half of October, this time free of charge for everyone. She indicated that the vaccine can be administered after an appointment is booked with the general practitioner.

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Source: MTI/Kormany.hu