The number of active infection cases stands at 1,809; 60 per cent of them are from Budapest or Pest County, the Chief Medical Officer said at the Wednesday online press conference of the Operational Group responsible for the containment of the coronavirus epidemic.
Cecília Müller added that 688 of the total active infected patients are in hospital, including 431 in Budapest, and 45 persons need assisted ventilation. The number of fatalities now stands at 430, Pest County and Budapest accounting for 79 per cent of them, she said.
She stressed that the latest epidemic data was highly favourable – the number of active infections as well as the number of patients requiring hospitalisation are gradually decreasing –, while the initial results of the representative screening test carried out by Hungarian medical universities were also promising.
Ms. Müller spoke about the rules of child supervision in nursery schools and creches. She said it is important to teach children the rules of personal hygiene, including the correct washing of hands and the use of tissues. She pointed out that at this time only those toys should be used which can be disinfected, and these should be cleaned with virucidal disinfectants with minimum daily regularity.
She added that employers were required to make appropriate protective supplies available to nursery school and creche workers based on risk assessments. However, the use of FFP3 and FFP2 face masks is unnecessary in these institutions.
In answer to a question, she said after more than 8,000 tests, the preliminary results of the screening tests carried out by medical universities reflect highly favourable infection data. This is due primarily to the measures adopted in good time and the disciplined behaviour of members of the pubic. During the critical period, people avoided face-to-face interactions, she added.
At the same time, she continued, the virus has not disappeared. Therefore, she asked everyone to continue to observe the disease control regulations, meaning the rules relating to social distancing and the covering of the mouth.
In answer to another question, she stressed that the fall in the number of infected patients treated in hospital makes possible the “returning” of beds vacated earlier due to the epidemic.
The process has already started in the case of rehabilitation beds, to be followed by transplantation beds, until normal order is gradually restored, the Chief Medical Officer said.
She further highlighted that the requirements relating to blood plasma donors are the same as those applicable to blood donors; however, in the present case, they are also expecting persons aged between 60 and 70.
She finally cautioned everyone against buying coronavirus test kits on the Internet as the online distribution of these devices is forbidden.
(MTI)
