Albanian Minister for Health Ogerta Manastirliu said that the increase of new COVID-19 cases in the country is believed to be related to the presence of new strains of the virus.
In a press conference today, Manastirliu said that samples had been sent to Berlin to confirm if this was the case. She said there were indications from the lab that new variants had been detected.
Previously, the IPH stated that while Albanian labs could detect variations in the virus, they could not pinpoint which ones they were.
She stated:
“In recent weeks we have noticed a high trend of confirmed COVID-19 cases. This increase could be related to the new variants of COVID-19.
We have reasonable suspicions about the circulation of variants, reinfection and the mass infection of young people.”
The Minister said that hospitals are at 70% capacity and are not overloaded. Additionally, she said that the average age of infection is 47.8 years and vigilance must be increased.
