HealthMin Tataru on high mortality rate: We report all deaths caused by SARS-CoV-2 or through decompensation of pathologies

The Minister of Health, Nelu Tataru, on Friday evening explained why mortality is very high in Romania in patients infected with the novel coronavirus, showing that the authorities report all deaths caused the virus or by decompensation of pathologies concomitant with the SARS-CoV-2.

"Mortality is given by severe cases, cases with comorbidities, after a long, let's say, suffering and fighting the disease in intensive care. There are concomitant pathologies, there are pathologies decompensated in these seven months and there are at the same time limited resources in this. We are talking about the actual mortality given by the SARS-CoV-2, but there is also the mortality given by the decompensations of these chronic diseases. If you saw our reports, there is this decompensation of the chronic diseases, which have been treated for a long period of time or, in some cases, there are people who did not check on the respective diseases they have in the latest time," said Nelu Tataru, during a visit to Iasi.

Asked why Romania ranks second in mortality in Europe, given that there are more cases of infection in other countries than in our country, Nelu Tataru replied: "We are effectively reporting everything that means comorbidities. We have also seen the other reports. For instance, there are some countries that report only deaths from SARS-VOC-2 without comorbidities or deaths by decompensation of these comorbidities. We have chosen to report all deaths that are caused by SARS-CoV-2, and also the decompensation of the concomitant pathologies through the presence of SARS-CoV-2 and the death being from those causes."

Regarding the possibility of establishing quarantine, the Minister of Health stated that "it is decided at the local level."

"We are not going on a state of emergency, we are going on those measures taken locally for each locality, depending on the evolution, depending on the existing outbreaks or outbreaks that are already isolated," Tataru said.