Romania hits pandemic record of nearly 20,000 infections

By STEPHEN McGRATH
Associated Press

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania has hit a new pandemic record of 19,649 COVID-19 infections amid a rapid rise in cases, but hospitalizations and deaths remain significantly lower compared with the previous wave, official data shows. Just a month ago, Romania was registering fewer than a thousand coronavirus infections a day. But daily cases have skyrocketed since the emergence of the highly transmissible omicron variant. But hospitalizations and deaths remain notably lower compared with a deadly fourth virus surge Romania faced through October and November when several hundred people were dying each day. The situation crippled the country’s underfunded health care system.