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The Minister of Health, Nelu Tătaru, announced on Sunday in Europa FM that a national seroprevalence study will begin in Romania, after June 1, during which the population will be evaluated to assess their immunization status for the new coronavirus. .
National tests will be conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization, and the campaign will take into account outbreaks.
“We have a test we are doing, in collaboration with the National Institute of Public Health and the National Center for the Control of Communicable Diseases. But we will do it about three months after the start of the pandemic, to assess both the immunization status of the population like that of the later evolution. It will start after June 1. We need to see when the pandemic will end or its first stage. Because we are not going to go down yet. Today we have 331 cases, but in the context in which yesterday was Saturday, the evidence are fewer. We evaluate based on the number of cases at the time. The budget also depends on the tests, which can be serological or molecular. Depending on the areas. Some with a large outbreak, others with a small outbreak. We will test the volunteers, but we were looking for them in certain outbreaks, “Minister Nelu Tătaru explained to Europa FM.
Serological tests are especially relevant after the epidemic, to assess the seroprevalence of infection in the general population and asymptomatic infections, as well as to assess the persistence of natural immunity after infection. However, molecular tests are the only ones that can make an accurate diagnosis of infection with the SARS Cov-2 virus.
There has been talk of a seroprevalence study since the controversial statements that led to the resignation of the former Minister of Health, Víctor Costache.
The national seroprevalence test will determine the death rate in Romania, Professor Alexandru Rafila explained last month on Digi24. “Aside from the cases we diagnose, there certainly are a considerable number of cases with asymptomatic forms, and we will hardly know. in a few months, when we will do a national seroprevalence study to show me what percentage of the population has gone through the disease, that is, to see how many of our fellow citizens have antibodies – which is equivalent to going through the disease. And then, of course, we will report the number of deaths to the estimated number of diseases, and the mortality will be much lower than what we recorded today, “said Professor Alexandru Rafila of Digi24.
Also read: Alexandru Rafila, details on population tests for COVID-19: there will likely be tens of thousands of tests
Web edition: Luana Păvălucă
