INFOGRAPHIC / COVID-19 crisis management in the Republic of Moldova. Chronology of events from the beginning of the pandemic – ADEPT analysis – Ziarul de Garda
Between March and September 2021, statistics on COVID-19 contamination showed generally predictable developments. The start, on March 2, 2021, of the vaccination process, by categories of persons at risk of contamination, gave an excellent result in the first 3 months from the beginning of the vaccination campaign. The positive dynamics of combating the pandemic in the first summer months coincided with reaching the maximum daily vaccination rate of the population. It was reversed with the spread of the SARS COV-2 virus strain in the country in parallel with the intensification of the movement of citizens in areas of rooms abroad and the return home, on vacation, of Moldovan citizens abroad.
Association follower has prepared an analytical note on the management of the COVID-19 crisis in March-September 2021, which includes inter alia the evolution of the vaccination rate and its effects, contamination with the new Delta strain, geographical analysis of import cases, ECHR case law on vaccination and measures taken of Moldovan authorities.
COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, first reported worldwide in December 2019, and in the Republic of Moldova at March 7, 2020. Unlike other countries, Moldova has faced a single wave of pandemic, characterized by a steady increase in the number of infections, which ended with the onset of vaccination against COVID-19 in March 2021 and the administration of the second dose of vaccine. In the summer of 2021, the presence of the Delta strain of the virus was confirmed in Moldova.
COVID-19 crisis management in March-September 2021
I. Reversing pandemic developments and response measures
To cope with the new pandemic wave, the Moldovan authorities have taken a number of measures to streamline the fight against COVID-19:
II. The promising start, followed by the slowdown in the vaccination process
The considerable decrease in the contagion rate with COVID-19, in April-June, is undoubtedly due to the start of the vaccination campaign and upward dynamics from March to July.
Recent opinion polls, including under the auspices of the Ministry of Occupational Health and Social Protection (MSMPS), confirmed that approximately 55% of responses in Moldova intended to be vaccinated against COVID-19. In this context, it is noteworthy that only about half of those who said they were willing to be vaccinated (~ 28%) trust vaccines, the other half being willing to be vaccinated so as not to be at risk of contamination. Surveys also highlight an additional factor, which undermines the dynamics of the vaccination process – confidence in the vaccines of a particular manufacturer. Unfortunately, this factor is often speculated by politicians, who behave by influencing the vaccination process.
After the start of the vaccination process, there was a constant o offer of different sera, certified by the World Health Organization (WTO), much greater than the number of people wishing to be vaccinated. Currently, in the 7th month after starting vaccination, less than ¼ (~ 22%) of the inhabitants of the Republic of Moldova were immunized with the complete scheme, which is present about 1/3 of the number needed for reaching the expected ceiling of 70% until the end of November. When operating with opinion poll data we need to consider the difference between sociological research and real statistics, which can be ~ 20%. Thus, there are people who are ashamed to admit that they do not believe in vaccination, if they think that the majority of public opinion is pro, being about the so-called spiral of silence.
In any case, the daily vaccination curve is reflected as a mirror of the contamination rate, demonstrating a very close correlation between the decrease in the vaccination rate and the increase in the contamination rate. In such circumstances, it can be found that voluntary vaccination of the population tends towards the saturation threshold, estimated according to surveys at the limit of ~ 30%, unfolding quite slowly, out of inertia. Respectively, the MoH decided to give up the vaccination marathons due to the low participation of the population, respectively, the mismatch between the material, financial and human resources involved, reports the effectiveness of immunization in the mentioned activities. The main conclusion that is required in such circumstances is that the authorities of the Republic of Moldova, as well as the authorities from other states, fail to effectively combat the myths about vaccination, despite the campaigns of informing citizens. The main causes of this failure are as follows:
- the relaxation that followed the lifting of restrictions with the improvement of the pandemic situation, in May-June 2021, meant for many people the end of the danger and expectations that a new wave is no longer expected.
- most people reluctant to the immunization process were most likely subjected brainwashing of anti-vaccination propaganda, supported by certain celebrities, including drugs, who oppose vaccination. Such campaigns have been promoted especially on social networks.
III. Import of the Delta strain of SARS COV-2 virus
The decrease in the daily vaccination rate of the population coincided with the increase in the movement of citizens during the summer holidays. As a result, between April and September 2021, about a thousand imported COVID-19 cases were fixed, which is just over 5% of the total number of cases. On July 23, 2021 MSMPS confirmed the spread of the Delta strain on the territory of the Republic of Moldova of the SARS COV-2 virus. The confirmation took place after receiving the samples sent by the laboratory of the National Agency for Public Health (ANSP) to the Institute of Virology in Berlin, Germany, on monitoring the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 strains by molecular biology and sequencing. Of the 15 samples sent for analysis by ANSP, 12 samples (80%) were confirmed as representing the Delta strain, the spread of which has been confirmed in 96 countries, in July 2021. MSMPS experts note that according to medical studies the Delta variant (B1617.2), also called Indian strain, it is twice as contagious as the original strain and ~ 60% more contagious than the British strain (Alpha).
The analysis of the geography of import cases shows that these are the states where Moldovan citizens find themselves in large numbers at work, study or prefer to rest. It is only about the cases that were confirmed when the citizens entered the Republic of Moldova.
Nothing is known about how those people complied with the quarantine regime and whether anyone was sanctioned for non-compliance with this regime. What is certain is that the number of import cases very faithfully repeats the image regarding the monthly contamination with COVID-19.
IV. ECHR case law on vaccination and measures taken by the Moldovan authorities
ECHR case law, recently developed, states that compulsory vaccination affects the personal integrity of citizens, but it can still be imposed to protect public health. Therefore, compulsory vaccination is part of the government’s arsenals for the protection of public health against contagious diseases and is practiced in some countries, such as the Czech Republic, France and Germany, in relation to certain viruses – measles, mumps and rubella. However, States are obliged to take into account all relevant factors in order to ensure that their public health policies are not disproportionate to those who are reluctant to vaccinate, for example those who have developed allergies to vaccines, and so on .
Therefore, the government needs to develop different strategies to encourage people to protect themselves from contagious diseases. Such strategies may include extensive information campaigns and various incentives, which would allow free movement, access to social and cultural events, as well as gyms, hotels and restaurants for people with COVID-19 immunity, either by full vaccination or by recovery after illness.
The main rule on vaccination, examined through human rights, is that, like any other medical intervention, it must be based on free consent and inform the recipient. But this rule is not absolute. In the Solomakhin Vs. Ukraine, The European Court of Human Rights (Court) has held that compulsory vaccination interferes with a person’s right to integration, protected in accordance with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). However, the Court concluded that such interference can be justified if it is considered a “need to control the spread of infectious diseases”. The ECHR subsequently issued the widely anticipated judgment in the Judgment Vavřička vs. Of the Czech Republic, developing implications for compulsory vaccination.
The basic conclusions about possible measures taken in the process of combating the COVID-19 pandemic are that governments are free to use both economic and incentive sanctions to encourage vaccination against COVID-19. But these measures should be used with caution. The need to impose mandatory means to ensure a high vaccination rate is related to the practical effects of the vaccination process.
In the context of the ECHR jurisprudence, briefly mentioned above, the measures taken in September 2021 by the authorities of the Republic of Moldova in order to combat our new COVID-19, in force since October 1, 2021, are compliant. These measures aim to find a reliable compromise between protection of public health, respect for human rights and ensuring economic activity, in optimal conditions as follows:
- the establishment by ANSP at the beginning of each week of the alert threshold for the national level and for the administrative-territorial units;
- adaptation by CNESP of the chromatic thresholds of infection incidence recommended by the WHO, for the regulation of the activity of different public, private institutions, etc .;
- banning the access of visitors to medical institutions and placement institutions;
- organizing the activity of the public catering units at maximum capacity in outdoor spaces, and in the indoor ones with at most 50 percent of the number of existing places and with the obligation that all customers present at the entrance to the COVID-19 certified unit;
- allowing the organization of private events (weddings, baptisms, festive meals) with the participation of a number of people indoors or outdoors, under certain conditions with the obligation to present COVID-19 certificates, etc.
This analytical note is developed within the project “Increasing public control over the activity of central public authorities in managing the COVID-19 crisis”, with the support of the Embassy of the United States of America in the Republic of Moldova. The views expressed are those of ADEPT and are not necessarily the official position of the US Embassy.
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