Half of the infected in Belgrade, capacity 10,000 beds VIDEO

Half of the infected in Belgrade, capacity 10,000 beds VIDEO

Deputy Director of the Batut Institute, Darija Kisic Tepavcevic, said that the highest number of infected persons was in Belgrade and that it was 158 people. They pointed out that Belgrade is the most vulnerable because of population density.

"In Niš 40, Valjevo 38, these are absolute numbers, Valjevo and Niš have a similar total number of reported cases, but there is a big difference in the size of cities. Novi Sad has 21, Cacak 13 infected persons, Kragujevac 12, Cuprija 10. The others have single digits", she said.

She added that 21 people were on a respirator yesterday, while today there are 24.

Today, the first person a medical worker also died, with a total of four victims.

"The illness of the health workers is not unexpected; they are the first line of defence. To remind, when the virus first appeared, it was thought that it could not be transmitted to humans, and it was precisely through the illness of medical workers that it was determined that it is possible", Tepavcevic Kisic said.

She said that the exact number of infected health workers was missing and that they had contracted virus outside the health centers, and that the infection had not spread in health facilities.

Dr Kon also spoke about accommodation facilities in Serbian hospitals.

"I expect that the reception centers will accommodate and will be much nicer to see than they are now. The capacities are known, about 100 beds are available at the Infectious Diseases Clinic, KBC Zemun, Dragisa Misovic, VMA, VBC. The accommodation capacity is over thousand beds and now we have additional accommodation at the Belgrade Fair. It is preparing for 2.000, later for 6.000, and lastly 10.000 patients", Kon said.

Kon said that it would be "acceptable accommodation". He added that the military is cleaning the toilets.

He pointed out that this was the preparation for the worst case scenario and that the most serious cases were kept at the Infectious and Tropical Diseases Clinic, while less severe cases were sent to the facilities at the Belgrade Fair.

Dr Darija Kisic Tepavcevic said that the capacity of the health care system for hospital treatment has been elaborated and numbered in the thousands. She recalled that more than 6.000 people were hospitalized during the 2009 flu pandemic.

"As for accommodation at the Fair, this is for those with a mild clinical picture. If one of us is infected and sent there, it will be a good sign that he has a mild clinical picture," said Tepavcevic Kisic.

Asked if sending to the Fair means giving up home isolation, Kon answered in the affirmative.

"Home isolation ends, but home self-isolation does not. Isolation is conducted in relation to someone who is positive, and self-isolation who has been in contact with someone who is positive," he said.

As for pregnant women, experts said that the experience of Chinese colleagues shows that they are not at risk for a more severe form of the disease, as was the case for the pandemic flu.

They also announced a great turnout from our healthcare professionals abroad, announcing their arrival and willingness to help. The infectologist Ivana Milosevic stated when it was the right time for the citizens to come and have examinations done 24 hours a day at the Infectious Diseases Clinic.

"Patients who have a milder clinical picture suffer from symptoms which include coughing, sore throat and milder temperature. The moment when you absolutely need to seek medical help is a moment when you have difficulty with breathing", she said.