RO health minister expects an increase in recorded Covid-19 tests, cases after change in reporting methodology

Health minister Vlad Voiculescu expects the number of recorded Covid-19 tests and cases to increase after the reporting methodology was changed to include rapid tests as well, he explained in an interview with television station ProTV.

The number of Covid-19 tests carried out is too small compared to the real number of cases, Voiculescu told ProTV. This is why the legislation in the area was recently changed, allowing rapid tests to be included in the official reports. The measure applies only to tests carried out at labs and inside medical units.

Following this, the minister expects more Covid-19 cases to be reported in the coming period.

“We need data to make decisions. We obtain data mainly through testing. I am not happy with Romania’s testing capacity. I am particularly unhappy with how many tests are carried out at the moment. This is the reason why last year, on December 30, on my fourth day as a minister, I changed the reporting methodology for tests; we can currently see the rapid tests as well, which are safe for people with symptoms,” the minister said, quoted by Stirileprotv.ro.

Once the IT platform of the Special Telecommunications System (STS) is updated, the number of cases and tests will increase, he explained.

“In the coming days, once the STS platform is updated, we will see that the number of results and tests, the number of positive results, and the number of total tests will increase, so we will be a bit closer to reality,” he explained.

Romania reported 3,082 Covid-19 cases on Sunday, January 10, out of 15,797 tests carried out the same day, with the total reaching 671,284. Since the start of the pandemic, 598,610 have recovered.

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