Opinions & Interviews

Minister: COVID-19 cases are unlikely to hit autumn’s peak in Belarus

MINSK, 13 May (BelTA) – The COVID-19 case numbers are unlikely to ever hit the last autumn’s peak again, Belarus’ Healthcare Minister Dmitry Pinevich told the SB. Belarus Segodnya newspaper, BelTA has learned.

“In any case, it will only get better. The virus is seasonal and subsides in summer. We spend more time outside, go on holidays, eat more fresh vegetables and fruit, which is very beneficial for the immune system. In addition to that, vaccination will go on, therefore the case numbers will not be as big as in the autumn,” Dmitry Pinevich said.

It is most likely that the pandemic will last into February 2022, the minister said. “Yet, I believe that as early as in the autumn COVID-19 will seriously decrease in scale. Now the main task is to go through the spring wave, and then we will handle the rest,” he added.

Speaking about the third wave, which is now in full swing, Dmitry Pinevich noted that today about 1,500 hospital beds are available in the country. However, there are many severe cases, which means that the situation is difficult. Statistically, the number of hospitalized people is 2.5 times lower than during the autumn’s peak, but the number of severe cases is just 1.5 times fewer.

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