The virus is still here with us, and so exercising due caution is important; however, with the improvement of the epidemic situation, further health care services will be resumed, the Chief Medical Officer said at the Friday online press conference of the Operational Group responsible for the containment of the coronavirus epidemic.

Cecília Müller said elective interventions could be resumed, and so-called non-public health  screening tests, including pre-employment medical screening, healthcare aptitude tests and one-off tests, as well as chronic and curative therapy could also be resumed.

She highlighted that appointments for health care services would have to be made by telephone, and the given physician or health care provider would prioritise patients. She added that if the patient is not suspected of being infected based on a few preliminary questions, the intervention can be carried out. However, in a case to the contrary, a laboratory test must be performed according to the earlier protocol, and the operation or any other intervention can only be carried out if the test result is negative.

According to Ms. Müller, the treatment of patients with cardiovascular conditions must take priority; this is coordinated by the Gottsegen György National Institute for Cardiology. At the same time, attempts should be made to restore the entire capacity of so-called coronary care units.

She pointed out that one third of beds reserved earlier for coronavirus patients can be released. At the same time, intensive care beds must still be maintained for potential coronavirus patients as the virus – even if its intensity has abated – is still present in the country.

Ms. Müller said the latest epidemic data was favourable. The number of newly registered incidences as well as the number of patients requiring hospitalisation are continuously decreasing, while the number of recovered patients is steadily increasing.

The number of infected persons currently stands at 3,417, including 1,688 active patients, with the capital and Pest County accounting for 58 per cent. 614 persons are receiving therapy in hospital, including 46 requiring assisted ventilation. Number of recovered patients: 1,287, number of fatalities: 442.

In connection with the reopening of playgrounds in the countryside, she said the technical condition and surface integrity of playground equipment must be checked, and surfaces must be regularly cleaned. There is no need for soil disinfecting; however, the sand in sand pits must be replaced before reopening, and this will have to be repeated several times during this season. She recommended that parents should not take their children to overcrowded playgrounds, and should use wipes. Upon returning home, everyone should wash their hands, and changing one’s clothes is also recommended.

In answer to a question about summer camps, Ms. Müller said they will make recommendations both to camp organisers and parents in the interest of the safest possible operation of these camps.

On the occasion of world mental health day, the Chief Medical Officer said thank you to the staff members of mental health first aid services. She said “no one ever is perfectly healthy, but when our mental health becomes shaken, we may need help in a number of instances”. Those who feel the need should use these services, she added.

The expert could not give an exact day for the lifting of restrictions on movement and visiting bans imposed in elderly care homes. She recalled that every fourth infected person as well as every fourth victim were residents of such institutions, and so “this will have to wait” as they constitute the most vulnerable age group, Ms. Müller said.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)