Hearing with the Technical Committee of Experts on Anti-Covid-19 measures
Prime Minister Edi Rama held a meeting with the Technical Committee of Experts to discuss the COVID-19 emergency situation in Albania. The Head of the Infectious Diseases Institute Silva Bino provided an updated situation report, underlining that all individuals suspected to have contracted the Covid-19 virus have been isolated, as well as their close contacts. “In the case of the infectious diseases transmitted in the air through the droplets it is vitally important that the suspected cases and their close contacts are traced immediately and we have detected these cases via the National Emergency Line 127, tests conducted in various regional hospitals, the family doctors,” Bino said.
As to the testing strategy, Bino noted that the main effective strategy involves tracing of the close contacts, the high-risk groups and individuals, namely individuals with underlying health conditions, older adults etc.. The ratio of the identified contacts of an infected person is estimated at 1 to 15. Bino also briefed on the situation following its most recent visit to the city of Shkodra, where a growing number of infections has been detected recently, stating that all cases there were detected after tracing contacts, many of them asymptomatic ones, adding that all these persons are now isolated.
The Premier asked for the experts’ opinion regarding the testing strategy, whether the current strategy should remain in place or it should change.
Albana Fico, Director of the Public Health Institute, explained that the Institute has developed full capacities to conduct a testing of anyone who need testing for the virus, stating that test kits are being supplied on regular basis.
“The number of self-isolated people stands at 43%, whereas 29% of the patients have recovered. Totally 72%, we have a population seemingly positive for the virus, but well-controlled. The ratio between the fatalities and the people treated at hospitals is 1 to 47.5 people. I believe that all these elements are sufficient to tell us that there is no need to change exponentially the testing of people for the coronavirus, but instead keep conducting test based on what we detect every day,” she said.
PM Rama added that government is mulling a strategy to gradually ease few restrictive measures and to this end he called for another consultation meeting with experts in the coming days. “I would like to hold a consultation with you, probably tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, because we want to explore a strategy of few eased measures. In order not to worry any of you, we don’t intend to let the enemy outflank us, but we want to project, or better say consider with you a series of steps we have included in the strategy plan since the very beginning, and I do need that, just like always, we receive your approval to adjust time and pace, because we should march in parallel, although the war lane remains a top priority,” the Premier noted.
