Romanian Official: ‘Romania Is the New Lombardy!’

Romania is the new Lombardy, according to one of the highest Romanian officials. Valeriu Gheorghita, the coordinator of the Romanian COVID-19 vaccination campaign, talks about the current situation in Romania and he mentions Romania is in Lombardy’s scenario from last year.

I’m afraid we are already in that scenario (of Lombardy). It is as visible as it gets that the hospitals and the ICUs are under assault. They are overwhelmed at this moment by COVID-19 patients.

Valeriu Gheorghita on Lombardy’s scenario in Romania

The COVID-19 situation in Romania is not a stable one. 15,000 new cases a day put constant pressure on the already weakened health system. The vaccination campaign is not a successful one either and only around 30% of the population is fully vaccinated, the second worse in Europe after Bulgaria.

For the coordinator of the vaccination campaign to say that Romania is the new Lombardy, this is as serious as it could be in the context. On the other hand, it is partially the fault of the very failed vaccination campaign. Valeriu Gheorghita could’ve talked about his own fault here as well.

The honest communication about the side effects of the vaccine would’ve done wonders in a country where conspiracies theories thrive. The lack of a proper communication strategy, the poor management of the pandemic, and the way the authorities positioned themselves above the people, all contributed to the current status quo in Romania.

Is Romania in Lombardy’s scenario? In our opinion, no. 15,000 cases a day in a country of 21 million cannot be compared to the situation in Lombardy from last year. Yes, the situation is critical and the hospitals are overwhelmed, but to compare the nightmare in Lombardy with the situation in Romania is a bit far-fetched, yet understandable for an official who wants to give a boost to the vaccination campaign he coordinated and failed at it.