Kon: We're doing fine so far; We don’t consider measures for the holidays now VIDEO

Kon: We're doing fine so far; We don’t consider measures for the holidays now VIDEO

A total of 66 people have died and 2.867 tested positive since the outbreak of the pandemic, Dr Kisic Tepavcevic said, adding that 1.907 people who tested positive for coronavirus had been hospitalized, including 127 who are on respirators.

1.586 people had been tested over the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of people tested in Serbia to 12.347.

Epidemiologist Predrag Kon commented on the news of the filling of capacities in Nis.

"Capacities are filling up everywhere. I am not talking now about mild cases, but medium and severe cases. We will have continued demand for additional capacity," Predrag Kon said.

Stevanovic added that there are expansion plans for each region according to capacity.

"Rationalization requires that patients be concentrated as much as possible. This means filling one place to the maximum, then filling the next one," Stevanovic said. He also answered a question regarding the status of workers at the Jura plant.

"As for the measures discussed, it is a mandatory reduction in the number of workers, and I have no answer to the question of what if it is not respected. We are in a state of emergency and everyone should do their job," Predrag Kon said.

Kon said the lack of staff had the effect on the number of people tested.

"We do not have the staff to respond to the pressure of a rapid leap in the number of cases to be tested. That is a very serious question," he said.

"Someone thought they could do more than this and that is essential. The problem is data entry and logistics, as the staff members need to be medically educated.

It's a complicated job. How others are coping with this problem successfully? It depends on the process of preparation," he added.

He added that "we are doing fine so far, and that we have to be very strict in implementing the measures". "The profession is in favor of preventing contacts, we have to wait day by day, the measures are more serious, we are all aware of this and we will see what happens over the weekend with the numbers, and after that, it will have to be decided," Kon added.

"As for the holidays, we honestly don't think about them. Although it may sound rude. We are thinking more about the situation and whether we will have to take stricter measures. That does not mean that I am in any way against the celebration. That is all I can say. We will wait, we have to wait, see if it has any effect, whether there is a fall, then we will once again consider whether it is the most necessary and propose an appropriate decision for imposing such measures", Kon said.

Dr Goran Stevanovic also spoke about the problem of housing health care workers in Belgrade.

"As far as accommodation of health workers is concerned, I speak for Belgrade, accommodation is provided for them. There is no recommendation for health workers to be isolated and we all go home after the shift. Those who live far, or who come to Belgrade are provided accommodation", he said.

President Vucic's son was infected with a coronavirus, which raised questions about whether he should spend 14 days in self-isolation.

"The protocol is the same for everyone. The procedure will depend on whether the person was in contact with the infected person during the period when he was infected," Tepavcevic Kisic said.

Experts on this occasion did not have the exact number of deaths per hospital, but promised to prepare for next time. Also, when asked if it was true that 12 doctors were infected in Zemun, they answered that "the number of infected health workers is 10 percent of all infected".