Romania suffers fourfold week-on-week rise in coronavirus infections

In Romania, almost four times as many new coronavirus infections were recorded this week than last, the latest official data has revealed.

During the week ending Sunday, 33,237 new cases were reported, up four-fold on last week’s figure of 8,555.

According to official data published on Sunday afternoon, most new cases were recorded in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Suceava and Timis counties; the highest rate of infection was found in Cluj County, approaching three cases per 1,000 population. Currently, the infection rate has only exceeded this value in rural areas, with spa resort Tusnad Bath in Harghita County among the most infected small towns with a value of 3.8 cases per 1,000 population.

Infections are less severe

In Romania, the fifth wave of the pandemic began shortly after Christmas. The rate of infection, which is far higher than in previous waves, suggests a much more transmissible variant of the Omicron virus. However, the less severe nature of the infections is indicated by the fact that the number of deaths continues to fall and the pressure of the fifth wave has not yet been felt in hospitals.

According to the latest statistics, Romania, with a population of just over 19 million, has had 1.85 million coronavirus cases so far, with 59,011 casualties.