Tirana’s Pediatric Department at Mother Theresa Hospital is suffering from an influx of cases, particularly children with high fever and a cough.
While in February and March of this year, there were around 140 cases a day, in June the number has risen to over 250 a day. Children between the ages of 3 and 7 are the most affected age, while numbers among adults have remained steady.
“Over the last month there has been an increase in cases, mostly in children. The typical sign is a high temperature “, says paediatrician, Sonila Brati.
In addition to seasonal viruses, there has also been an increase in COVID-19 cases.
“The end of July is expected to be the peak with Covid-19 cases, as long as trends continue to increase”, according to Brati.
There have been 90 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours and one death. In addition, there are 1825 active cases and 17 inpatients. While the numbers are comparatively low, they are increasing raising fears for new wave in the Fall, for which the population is underprepared.
Vaccination rates are just 47%, some of the lowest in Europe, with the number of people getting vaccinated decreasing by 85% recently.
