hospital

Coronavirus – Number of confirmed cases in Hungary rises to 492, 16 people have died

coronavirus ambulance

The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Hungary has risen to 492, according to the koronavirus.gov.hu website.

Altogether 16 people have died and 37 recovered. Fully 61 people are in quarantine, and 14,146 coronavirus tests have been conducted.

In addition to Hungarians, the cases include ten Iranians, two Britons, one Kazakh and one Vietnamese.

51 hospitals under military command

Army officers have started their command of 51 hospitals out of 108 in the country, the defence minister said on Tuesday.

In an emergency situation it is extremely important that the virus should be handled under a unified command, and that the management and use of materials should be directed and controlled centrally, Tibor Benkő told public news channel M1.

Hospital commanders have a supporting role and are not involved in making decisions on medical or health issues, he added.

Their job is to submit proposals and requests to the national commander, who forwards them to the operative body in charge of handling novel coronavirus, he said.

Benkő also said that an action group in charge of the security of strategic Hungarian companies has selected companies in the fields of food industry, oxygen supply, infocommunications and energy. A total of 139 companies have been selected in the first round, and army teams have started their work in 84 of them. More companies will be selected during the week, he added.

Read here the latest news on CORONAVIRUS.

Visegrád Four are among the best in Europe in the number of hospital beds

coronavirus-Hungary-hospital

A recent study, conducted by NimbleFins, is rating European countries on the basis of their hospitals’ capacity, using some of the latest data. The study highlights which European countries might have the best healthcare infrastructure to deal with the rapidly growing number of COVID-19 patients, Kafkadesk reports.

Hospital beds per capita

The study first compares the number of hospital beds in European countries. It might be surprising, but Visegrád Group countries (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary) are all ranked high among the most well-prepared countries to face the rapidly growing number of people that need serious care.

Germany has the most hospital beds per capita in Europe, with 8 beds per 1,000 people. Austria follows right after, with 7.27 beds per 1,000 people, but the Visegrád countries put up a good fight against them. Hungary is placed 3rd, not much behind Austria, with 7.02 beds. The Czech Republic (6.63) and Poland (6.62) come right after, but Slovakia only placed 8th in this category. This means that 3 out of the Visegrád Four are in the top 5 countries with the highest number of hospital beds per 1,000 inhabitants. Surprisingly, the other end of the spectrum includes the UK (2.54), Denmark (2.5), and Sweden (2.22) as the worst three countries in this category.

Hospital beds per 1,000 people aged 70 or older

The second category of the study ranks countries who are better equipped to care for their elderly population in particular. What they found is that Central European countries are better equipped to cater to their elderly than many other leading European countries. This is very important because older people are more prone to the severe symptoms of COVID-19.

Visegrád Group countries dominate this category even more than the previous one. As the chart shows, all of them are in the top 5. Only Austria was able to get a place among them as the 4th country with the most hospital beds per 1,000 people aged 70 or older. Hungary (54.9) placed 3rd this time as well.

It is interesting to note that Hungary’s elderly population constitutes 12.78% of the country’s current total population. The Visegrád Group countries are taking the prize everywhere, as they are in the top 5 countries with the lowest number of elderly people in their respective countries. To be exact, Hungary and the Czech Republic are tied for 5th place.

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Coronavirus – Ministry releases manual to help hospitals

coronavirus check-up

A manual on diagnosis and therapy for novel coronavirus infections prepared for hospitals under the guidance of Minister of Human Resources Miklos Kasler is based on best practices from several countries, adapted to Hungarian circumstances, the ministry said on Saturday.

The manual includes standard professional approaches and offers effective help to hospital professionals on prevention and treatment of patients, the ministry added.

The booklet uses international recommendations and presents the correct way of using protective gear as well as rules for interaction between health-care staff and patients.

It highlights the need to give surgical masks to all arriving patients because this can significantly reduce the risk of transferring infections to health-care workers.

It also gives detailed rules on the tasks of GPs, ambulance staff and hospital workers treating patients, the ministry said.

Several renowned professionals have contributed to the publication which contains guidelines for classifying patients, disinfecting their environment, waste management, the acquisition of material assets and the development of sufficient infrastructure, the statement said.

The manual describes principles of diagnosis and treatment, including the use of imaging tests and sample taking, and it lists the institutions that have been selected for laboratory tests.

“It offers a precise and practical summary of currently available therapeutical options,” the ministry said.

Coronavirus – Hungary confirmed cases reach 343, another elderly patient dead

coronavirus great market hall

The number of people confirmed to be infected with novel coronavirus in Hungary has grown to 343, with more Hungarian citizens having tested positive, and another elderly patient suffering from chronic diseases has died, the government website koronavirus.gov.hu said on Saturday.

So far, eleven people have died from the virus, the website said.

Of the 343 confirmed cases in the country, 10 are Iranian, 2 are British, one is Kazakh, another Vietnamese, and the remaining 329 are Hungarian, the website added.

The number of people confirmed as having recovered from the virus has remained unchanged from Friday at 34, it said. Altogether 87 people are in quarantine in hospital and a total of 10,303 test samples have been taken.

The epidemic in Hungary is at the stage of group infections spread in communities, the website said. Infected people can be found everywhere in the country and anyone could be already infected, it added.

The website said the real number of infected people who can spread the virus is significantly more than the number of those already identified. In order to slow down mass infections, it is important that the elderly, students, people returning from abroad and everyone who can should stay at home, obey the regulations and recommendations and respect the new restrictions that came in force on Saturday, it added.

This is what Hungarians think about the coronavirus

coronavirus-railway-hungary

76 pc of them think that the disease’s spread is going to accelerate. Most of them believe that the government should introduce curfew and more than 50 pc agree that older people should go into obligatory quarantine. 

The Publicus Institute surveyed the Hungarian citizens for Népszava, and they found that all people they asked already heard about the coronavirus epidemic. 76 pc told that they expect that the spread of the disease will accelerate in Hungary so masses will become infected. 63 pc think that they will not catch the virus and, in this regard, the most endangered group, pensioners are the most optimistic with 70 pc.

38 pc of those asked think that the virus came from one of China’s provinces because of a mutation enabling it to infect humans, as well, apart from animals. 29 pc support other theories while

19 pc think that China developed it and let it loose.

Meanwhile, 9 pc think that the USA did so, and 7 pc does not know or does not want to answer. 90 pc of those who believe that there will be a massive epidemic think that the government will introduce curfew. 84 pc expects that all shops except for those selling food will be closed, 73 pc believe that traffic between different cities and settlements will be restricted and 71 pc think that the quarantine will be made obligatory for old people. However, only 66 pc feel that it is needed.

66 pc of those who think that there will be a massive epidemic in Hungary also believe that the restrictions will last 2-3 months in the country. 17 pc of them think that they will end in one month while only ten pc think that they will last for half a year. Interestingly,

most optimistic in this regard are the voters of Jobbik – Movement for a Better Hungary

who think that all will be back to normal after one month.

U.S. tops world with most COVID-19 cases as total reaches 85,653

coronavirus mask

The United States has overtaken China to become the country with the most COVID-19 cases worldwide by Thursday afternoon local time, according to Johns Hopkins University.

As of 11:30 p.m. (0330 GMT on Friday), a total of 85,653 cases were reported in the country, with 1,290 deaths, data from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at the university showed.

The nationwide tally has been growing by around 10,000 cases every day since last Saturday, and climbed from 70,000 to 80,000 in less than five hours on Thursday.

Among all 50 states and Washington D.C., New York has become the epicenter of the country’s outbreak, recording nearly 40,000 cases. Over 23,000 cases have been recorded in New York City (NYC), the largest city in the country with 8.6 million residents.

A high level of population density has accelerated the spread of COVID-19, according to experts and officials, who urged people to stay home and maintain social distancing while outside.

“We remain deeply concerned about New York City and the New York metro area,” said Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator, at a briefing on Tuesday.

She said anyone who has recently left this area should self-quarantine for 14 days “to ensure that the virus doesn’t spread to others.”

The New York state is scouting new sites for building temporary hospitals, besides four locations already confirmed, to serve as quarantine centers, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday.

The state aims to have a 1,000-plus patient overflow facility in all five boroughs of NYC as well as some downstate counties hit hard by COVID-19, including Westchester, Rockland, Nassau and Suffolk counties, said Cuomo.

The governor said earlier this week that the COVID-19 cases may peak in two to three weeks, and the state will need some 140,000 hospital beds by then. The state currently has some 53,000.

New York’s Neighboring state, New Jersey, ranks the second in terms of COVID-19 caseload with over 6,800 cases as of Thursday night.

Governor Phil Murphy announced on Thursday that President Donald Trump has issued a Major Disaster Declaration for New Jersey, which will enhance a statewide response to COVID-19 by providing federal assistance.

In California, more than 4,000 people have been infected by the novel coronavirus with 62 deaths. Medical workers are running out of face masks, especially N95 masks, as well as other personal protective devices and disinfection products. Some have appealed for donations from the public.

Governor Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that California has distributed 24.5 million N95 masks and has placed orders for an additional 100 million to address the shortage of medical supplies.

Wang Mingli, organizer of a medical supplies donation campaign in Palos Verdes, Los Angeles County, told Xinhua that within two hours on Sunday 137 N95 masks and 2,207 one-time-use surgical masks were received from the local Chinese American community.

“We donated all the 137 N95 masks to Community Hospital Long Beach and sent one-time-use surgical masks to a local senior care center,” Wang said.

Nationwide, U.S. companies have joined the efforts to tackle the N95 mask shortage.
Apple CEO Tim Cook announced last week that his company has “been working to help source supplies for healthcare providers fighting COVID-19.”

“We’re donating millions of masks for health professionals in the U.S. and Europe,” he tweeted.

Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO of Facebook, said his company has donated 720,000 masks in its emergency reserve and is “working on sourcing millions of more to donate.”

Elon Musk, co-founder and CEO at Tesla, has reportedly pledged to distribute 250,000 N95 masks among hospitals. He said on Twitter last week that Tesla will donate more than 1,000 ventilators from China to hospitals in Los Angeles.

Hungarian experts to start testing anti-coronavirus substances

Microbiologist

The coronavirus research group of the University of Pécs can find the virus, can analyse its pathogenicity, and they even know its molecular constitution. The university is going to start testing the potential substances this week that are able to cure the coronavirus.

The virologist team led by Ferenc Jakab in the János Széntágothai Research Centre of the University of Pécs developed a routine process to isolate coronavirus in different cells of the human body thanks to samples taken from patients who became infected in the Central European region, Szeretlek Magyarorszag reported. Therefore, the Hungarian researchers have a chance to develop a vaccine able to combat the new-type coronavirus and

will probably be able to find new cures for the patients.

Based on the announcement of the university, this new and promising step in the fight against the virus is the result of a decision enabling the researchers of the university to examine samples from local patients. Thanks to that, from March 16 on, laboratories from many parts of the country can analyse such samples.

The virologist team led by Ferenc Jakab developed a routine process that can be combined with the detailed analysis of the full genetic material of the virus. That can mean a milestone in the work of the coronavirus task force created by the Hungarian PM. The task force’s main aim is to

learn more about the virus and especially about its proliferation and infection mechanism. 

If they can get that information, prevention can be more effective, and a successful treatment or medicine can be developed. 

Ferenc Jakab told the Hungarian News Agency that they already know the molecular structure of the virus, which is also very helpful to the process.

Coronavirus – Hungary confirmed infections up at 261

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Hungary has reached 261, the government website koronavirus.gov.hu said on Thursday morning. The number of deaths remained ten.

Of the 261 confirmed cases, 10 are Iranian, 2 are British, one is Kazakh, another Vietnamese, and the remaining 247 are Hungarian, it said.

The number of full recoveries has gone up to 28 from 21.

Fully 100 people are in quarantine and a total of 8,005 test samples have been taken.

The epidemic in Hungary is at the stage of transmissions in communities, the website said. Infected people can be found all over the country and anyone could be already infected, it added.

For that matter, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has asked Marija Pejcinovic Buric, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, not to hinder Hungary’s efforts to contain the novel coronavirus epidemic.

The secretary-general criticised Hungary’s legislation concerning the coronavirus-related state of emergency on Tuesday.

In a letter, Orbán asked the secretary-general to study the exact text of the related bill submitted to parliament, and examine the corresponding legal practice of other nations, Bertalan Havasi said.

“If you are unable to help us in the current crisis, I ask you to at least refrain from hindering our efforts,” Orbán said.

The rector of the Szeged University performed surgeries even though he was infected with coronavirus

surgery coronavirus Hungary Szeged

László Rovó is an otolaryngologist, and he felt the symptoms of the disease after he returned from a ski holiday he spent in South Tyrol. However, between his return and the time he felt the symptoms, he continued his work as a rector and performed surgeries.

According to hvg, the rector did not test himself or his family, and he did not go to quarantine, either, after he returned home. Instead, he continued to work not only at the university but also in the Department Of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology and Head-Neck Surgery that he leads. He was tested for coronavirus only after he showed the symptoms of the disease, and the result was positive.

Based on the sources of hvg, thanks to the carelessness of the professor, the full staff of the Rector’s Cabinet had to go into quarantine. Furthermore, all doctors and nurses of the Department Of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology and Head-Neck Surgery were tested on Saturday. Moreover, professor Rovó was taking part in many meetings between his return and the time he felt the symptoms, so he could have infected many additional people, too.

Today, the rector published a statement about what happened in which he cleared up that he was in South Tyrol at the beginning of the month and returned home on March 8, before the government declared the state of emergency and before universities closed and regular patient care stopped in the country.

He did not say where he went exactly

but stressed that it was not among the dangerous territories at the time of his visit.

He did not experience any of the symptoms after he returned home, and he says that it cannot be proven that he caught coronavirus abroad. That could happen in Szeged as well because, as an otolaryngologist, he regularly meets with patients who have upper-respiratory-tract infections. Furthermore, he performs surgeries following the strictest professional protocols. Thus, he excludes that any of his patients were at a higher risk of becoming infected because of him.

Finally, when he felt the symptoms,

he immediately went into quarantine

and did the necessary protective measures. Up until now, nobody was tested positive in his environment, and though he is in quarantine together with his family, he is already symptom-free. He finally said that even though there are some people infected with coronavirus in Szeged, nobody is linked to him.

Coronavirus – Chief medical officer calls for slowing spread of epidemic

Slowing the spread of the new coronavirus has become a priority in Hungary’s response to the Covid-19 epidemic, Cecília Müller, the chief medical officer, said on Saturday.

The number of confirmed cases keeps growing, raising the threat of a mass infection, she said. The priority therefore is to “flatten the curve” of the epidemic, she said. People are advised to avoid crowds and stay at home as much as possible, she added.

Over the past 24 hours another 18 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19, raising the total to 103, Müller told an online press conference. The four who have died of the disease all suffered from chronic conditions, she said, noting there were six people in serious condition in intensive care.

The elderly are still in the focus of the protection efforts, she said. She noted that some 80 percent of those who contract the virus only experience mild symptoms.

Tibor Lakatos, the head of the coordinating operative board’s emergency centre, said at the same presser that ensuring sufficient border controls while maintaining a seamless freight traffic into Hungary is a focal point of Hungary’s response.

Lakatos said that vehicles heading for Hungary from Austria have formed a 23 kilometre queue before the Hegyeshalom border crossing. Vehicles bound for Hungary from Slovakia are waiting in a 20-kilometre queue before Rajka, he said.

Hungary only allows foreigners to cross the country through humanitarian corridors if the destination countries confirm that they are ready to receive them, Lakatos said.

The authorities have ordered 3,771 home quarantines so far, in proportion with the number of people arriving home from abroad, he said. The home quarantines have been inspected over 15,000 times, and the authorities have so far recorded 94 breaches, Lakatos said.

He said the measures so far seem to have the desired effect: closing schools, shops and event venues, as well as introducing teleworking wherever possible, has sharply reduced the number of people in the streets.

Materials for manufacturing protective gear keep arriving in Hungary, with shipments of protective equipment expected from China next week, he said.

Coronavirus – Hungary confirmed cases rise to 103

coronavirus elderly

The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection in Hungary has risen to 103, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Saturday.

Ten of the patients are Iranians, two British, one is Kazakh, another Vietnamese, and 89 are Hungarians, the government website for disseminating information on the epidemic said.

Four patients have died and seven have recovered so far.

The epidemic in the country has entered its second phase, as the virus is being transmitted in communities rather than just from one individual to another, it added.

The authorities stress that people, especially the elderly and young people, should not leave their homes and should observe the rules concerning the epidemic.

Currently, 117 people are quarantined and the authorities have taken 3,447 samples.

Latest news on the coronavirus:

Coronavirus – Mayor: Budapest in need of a million face masks

corona mask pexels

Budapest will need a supply of at least one million FFP2 face masks with particle filters over the coming period in light of the spread of the novel coronavirus, Mayor Gergely Karácsony said on Friday.

The masks would primarily serve to protect health-care and social sector workers, Karácsony told an online press conference streamed on his Facebook page.

In addition, at least another 5 million surgical masks are needed to be distributed to the public, he said.

Karácsony said the metropolitan council had notified the government both of its own supply needs and those of the capital’s districts on Friday, adding that the capital is doing everything it can to procure the necessary protective equipment.

He said ensuring the supply of the necessary protective gear was not a question of money, adding, at the same time, that the equipment was hard to get a hold of.

Meanwhile, Karácsony announced that from March to June the city council will not collect rent from small and medium-sized companies that rent space from the city council.

Further, the capital will create the legal conditions to exempt businesses that do not lay off staff from paying rent for the period in question in the future either, he added.

On the subject of parking, Karácsony said that following talks between the metropolitan council and Budapest’s shopping malls, the city’s Arena and MOM Park malls have agreed to provide free parking in their parking lots. Talks with the other malls are still ongoing, he added.

The mayor also said that several hundreds of Budapesters in various districts have got involved in helping to look after the elderly.

He thanked car-sharing services MOL Limo and GreenGo for offering their services to be used free of charge when it comes to caring for elderly residents.

Deputy Mayor Gábor Kerpel-Fronius said the metropolitan council has launched its own website providing updates about the coronavirus outbreak, which can be accessed at koronavirus.budapest.hu.

Not enough healthcare workers, 900 people volunteer to help out

coronavirus Hungary

The Ministry of Human Resources called for volunteers with some kind of degree in health education in a Facebook post. In just two days, almost 900 people applied, and they are currently being assigned to their posts.

Their assignments include administrative duties and patient care. Five people have been placed in Szent László Hospital, 20 at the National Public Health Centre, and 50 will help out with test results, according to Magyar Nemzet.

Minister Miklós Kásler informed medical students who are in the last year of their studies that they may be asked to complete tasks, such as monitoring infected people and those who are suspected of being infected, as well as tending to people in quarantine, old and/or disabled people, and moderately or critically infected people.

Medical students had until Thursday to sign up for their duty of choice.

Coronavirus – Hungary confirmed cases rise to 85

corona train cleaning

The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection in Hungary has risen to 85, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Friday.

Ten of the patients are Iranian, one is British, another Kazakh, and 73 are Hungarian, the website said.

The epidemic in the country has entered in its second phase, as the virus is being transmitted in communities rather than just from one individual to another, it added.

The authorities are calling on the elderly and young people in particular to stay at home.

The National Crime Prevention Council (NBT) has warned of fraudsters trying to trick people into buying products that are ineffective against the novel coronavirus.

László Garamvölgyi, the council’s communications chief, said that the disinfectants, masks and medicaments typically offered by vendors in small villages could even pose a health risk, and warned residents not open their doors to peddlers but to call the police instead. He added that people should only buy protective products from legal vendors.
Garamvölgyi said that the tricksters typically arrive in groups.

While one distracts the householder’s attention others steal something from the house.

Garamvölgyi also noted the dangers posed by fake phishing websites and strongly advised against sharing personal and banking data. He also warned that purveyors on the internet may offer capsules ineffectual against the virus at exorbitant prices.

Latest news on coronavirus:

Does Hungarian pálinka cure flu?

bedding, pálinka drink Hungarian

In Hungary, it is a widespread opinion that in case you have a headache, you catch the flu, or your stomach ruffles you should drink pálinka with (or without) tea. 

Science already proved that in many cases belief in itself can cure people. Especially in the case of illnesses that heal in a couple of days without any treatment thanks to the defence mechanisms of our immune system.

In Hungary, many people think that pálinka is a treatment for almost all diseases. Even in the case of coronavirus, much fake news appeared saying that since sterilisers contain alcohol, strong pálinkas are good to extinguish the virus. It is true that bacteria die from an alcohol level higher than 60 pc – index.hu reported. Moreover, provided that alcohol 

exceeding 70 pc has even a sterilising effect. 

Pálinkas having 40 pc alcohol content can destroy bacteria in the mouth, but even so, this traditional Hungarian spirit is unable to heal anybody.

It is also a misbelief that cold drinks or meals help viruses and bacteria to multiply. Similarly, hot tea or meals are also unable to warm the body and extinguish alien microorganisms as a fever does. However, researchers say that

green tea can help to reduce the risk of getting infected.

Vitamin C does not help if the virus is already in the body. However, it can help to avoid catching a cold, and it strengthens the immune system. Meat soup does not have any effect on the disease, but it feels good to eat when one is ill. Based on the findings of a research, the soup helps neutrophils move, and thus, it is beneficial in reducing inflammation.

Hungarian people think that garlic protects them from vampires and a lot of diseases, as well. Clinical tests say that

garlic is beneficial for the heart and the cardiovascular system

but does not help the immune system’s struggle against infections. 

Coronavirus: All European countries publish the numbers of infections by area except for Hungary

coronavirus-Hungary

All members of the European Union update the territorial numbers of infected except for Hungary. Even Albanian authorities tell which city or county the infected people live in while Hungary says nothing.

On the Monday press conference of the Operative Board Cecília Müller said that they do so because they respect the personal rights of the patients and that is why they do not tell where they live. She emphasised that

if they did so those infected could be tracked down

– 444.hu reported. Meanwhile, the Austrian ministry for health regularly publishes the newest data in the issue. At the time 444.hu checked the altogether number of those infected was 959. 150 of them lives in Lower Austria, 122 in Vienna, 111 in Styria, 254 in Tirol, 196 in Upper Austria, 54 in Salzburg, 10 in Burgenland (the region near the Hungarian border), 55 in Voralberg and 7 in Kärnten.

The same happens in the case of Croatia: the number of the patients there is 57, and 25 of them live in Zagreb while near the Hungarian border, in Eszék-Baranya county, 8 infections were confirmed.

Until Sunday, the Romanian government told not only the county where the patients lived in but also whether they are male or female and added even their age.

From Monday on, they only tell how many patients live in the different counties of Romania. Anyway, the altogether number of infections there was 123, and the government publishes the latest news in the issue in two newsletters per day. Interestingly, the 69th patient’s daughter is the 70th patient, while the 65th one’s wife is the 68th. Romanian authorities told until Sunday whether the patient was abroad in the last few weeks and they even added the country where they were, too. 

The Belgian government updates a regional map containing the infections each day. The Polish government does the same. On their website, we can check each region. The Finnish government publishes the number of patients being treated in the big hospitals, and they do that in English and Swedish, as well.

The Albanian government gives information related to the epidemic on Facebook.

Hungarian teenager in quarantine starts vlogging

coronavirus quarantine vlog budapest

An 18-year-old Hungarian boy, nicknamed Legus, started vlogging his experience after his mother and brother had caught the new coronavirus, and he had been placed in quarantine with the rest of his family.

The teenager uploaded a detailed video, in which he tells how his mother’s case progressed from day to day, as well as how he and his family were placed under quarantine, and what it is like in the hospital. He promises to upload more as the days go on.

He tells the story in chronological order, starting with March 2, when his mother developed a fever.

The next day, his brother also got a fever, but it passed, and by March 5th, he was all better. The mother’s condition, however, did not improve. They called a doctor on the phone, who after asking questions, said the mother did not have the new coronavirus.

On March 7, the woman’s condition worsened so much, that she was brought into the hospital, where she was asked the mandatory questions, such as whether she had been abroad, and as her answer was no, they said she did not catch COVID-19.

She was transported from Szent László to János Hospital. Where they only tested her after her husband had demanded it and caused a scene. And as she did not seem to be getting better, they did the test.

The results came in on March 12 and were positive.

Legus was in class when he received the news and immediately informed his teacher and the principal. His whole class was sent home, as well as his girlfriend’s class.

His father, brother, sister and Legus were told to go into quarantine in Szent László Hospital, but by the time they reached the hospital, they got a call that they needed to self-quarantine at home.

The next day, March 13, they got another call to go into Szent László Hospital for quarantine. They waited there for hours before finally getting tested at around 2 PM, and they had not eaten since dinner the night before. They were transported to Kútvölgyi Hospital during the night.

The next day his brother’s results came in positive as well, while his father’s, sister’s and his were negative.

On March 15 his mother got an unknown medicine from abroad which brought down her fever, and her coughing seemed to have ceased.

He also gave a tour of his room in the hospital and showed the piece of bread that was his lunch provided by the hospital.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVDG7EMtVV4

EU restricts protective equipment export, demands open borders in combat against COVID-19

coronavirus mask woman

The European Union (EU) adopted a scheme to restrict the export of medical protective equipment and secure the supply within the bloc, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Sunday.

Medical goods including masks, gloves, protective garments can only be sold to non-EU countries with the explicit authorization of the EU governments, she said in a video statement. “We need to keep in the EU the protective equipment we need.”

The export authorization scheme was coupled with an appeal for sharing the necessary supply among the 27 EU members. “National bans on selling protective equipment to other member states are not good,” said von der Leyen.

The members need to help each other as no single country can produce all it needs on its own, stressed the chief of the EU’s executive arm, adding

“Today it is Italy that rapidly needs large quantities of medical goods, but in a few weeks, other countries will need it too.”

Italy has reported over 20,000 infections of the COVID-19, with 1,809 deaths, now the most affected country in the world other than China.

The novel coronavirus has crossed borders and infected thousands more in other EU countries, triggering border closures by some members like Denmark.

In Sunday’s message, von der Leyen also urged the member states to keep their borders open so that medical supply and life necessities can flow within the Single Market.

“Just imagine as we increase production of medical equipment, factories cannot get the components they need in time,” she said.

Von der Leyen said the EU will launch joint public procurement with member states for testing kits and respiratory ventilator on Monday, and will present guidelines to national governments on border measures.