TIRANA – A confusing mood prevails in Albania as the spread of the deadly virus COVID19 escalates with its bitter cost on people’s life while local health authorities and medical specialists cannot convince citizens to wear face marks and respect protective anti-COVID19 measures.
Wednesday’s balance sheet of what happened in the last 24 hours shows that there were two fatalities, 68 new infected cases bringing the total number of infections to 3,106, and 83 hospitalized infected patients.
“The serious situation at the infectious disease hospital, where there are young people hospitalized, requires reflection from citizens to maintain physical distance, to maintain personal hygiene, to keep the mask indoors, or wherever it is not possible to maintain physical distance of at least 1.5 meters,” said specialist Genta Qirjako of the Institute of Public Health (ISHP) in her daily update on Wednesday.
According to her, there are currently 1,232 active people with COVID-19, mainly in Tirana, Shkodra, Kruja, Durres, who as specialists insist constitute the source of the spread of the contamination.
Speaking of what is happening during the last four weeks National Center for Medical Emergencies director Skender Brataj said Albania is being faced with the community transmission of COVID-19. Brataj said that, at this point, there could be no more talk of hotbeds , making the frightening revelation that none could know from where might get infected.
Given such a situation worldwide the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended testing strategies should shift towards monitoring the intensity of transmission, and plans should be made in order to manage increased volume.
However NCME Director Brataj said that WHO’s latest country situation report did not classify Albania’s transmission status as community transmission.
Critical COVID19 Time Burdened with Political Bitterness
The aggravation of the situation of the disease has been accompanied by political coloring by not only politicians but medical specialists, too, something which has worried the well known epidemiologist, Tritan Kalo.
“The COVIDIAN opinion makers, who claim to know everything, are causing much confusion in our life,” said Dr. Kalo in a post on FB on Wednesday.
“I Feel sad about some colleagues, who in these days of the ‘worldwide flue’ of Sars-Cov2/Covid-19, blinded by the fever for power are hurt mentally somewhat losing the thread of deontological reaction accepted by the ‘Hippocratic Oath’ which is the leading compass of the professional life of every ‘WHITE BLOUSE’,” said Kalo.
The well known doctor took the opportunity to quote some lines of the ‘Hippocratic Oath’ which stresses that there is no room for being influenced by the religious, nationality, race, political or class belonging in exercising the medical profession.
“I will protect the life of man in an absolute way even in the conditions of threat and I will not allow the misuse of my medical knowledge,” pledged the above ‘Oath’ as quoted by Dr. Kalo.
As before even among the ranks of the medical circles there are divisions cloaked with political affiliation of individuals which, as a matter of fact, is present in all fields of the life of Albania, a country which even after three decades of pluralism is burdened by a harsh political fight whose impact is felt on all aspects of life, including the health sector. This is happening even at the critical COVID19 time. /argumentum.al
