July 10, 2020 - Laboratories of the Institute of Public Health analyzed 468 samples, of which 58 were positive for COVID-19. These are patients from Rožaje 19, Berane 14, Podgorica 13, Bar 5, Cetinje 3, Kotor 2, Bijelo Polje 1, and Nikšić 1. There are currently 733 active cases in Montenegro.
"During the day, two deaths were reported at the General Hospital in Berane. We are still awaiting the results of laboratory analyses for both deceased persons. Until the arrival of the laboratory certificate, the total number of confirmed deaths since the beginning of June from COVID-19 remains ten. In the last 24 hours, five patients have recovered, "said the Institute of Public Health.
The number of active COVID-19 cases by municipalities:
Highlights from the press conference of the National Coordination Body
Director of the Institute of Public Health of Montenegro (IJZCG) and member of the National Coordination Body for Infectious Diseases (NKT) Boban Mugoša said that since the beginning of June the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus infection is 753, with ten deaths and 10 recovered COVID-19 patients. There are currently 733 active cases in Montenegro.
"We have a serious situation with a large number of patients and an infection spreading," Mugoša pointed out at the NKT press conference.
He said that such a situation was expected after the epidemiological "calm."
"It is complicated to control the spread of the infection, but we are making efforts. All this is accompanied by taking additional measures," Mugoša said.
According to Mugoša, the Institute of Public Health conducts between 400 and 600 COVID-19 tests a day.
"If we compare it to a larger country, such as Germany, it would be like 58,000 people a day being tested in that country, which has a population of 80 million," he said.
Mugoša said that a mask must be worn, and social distance must be respected.
"We can no longer socialize as we used to without being at risk. We can, but we take the risk. What we have now in Montenegro shows either a lack of understanding or a refusal to accept such a situation. If you have people who give you 140 close contacts, then that says enough about how much they are wrong in their beliefs or did not understand what this is about," said the director of IJZCG.
He said it was difficult to close the country entirely again, and asked the media to support raising collective awareness of the epidemiological situation.
The Director of the Internal Clinic of the Clinical Center of Montenegro (KCCG) and a member of the KCCG Crisis Team, Sreten Kavarić, said that out of 100 infected, 80 can be treated at home or in self-isolation.
"Fifty percent of positive coronavirus cases have no symptoms," Kavarić said.
He said that there are 79 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in four hospitals in Montenegro; with 25 patients in KCCG. In Bar, 13 patients are being treated, in Berane 33, of which four are in a life-threatening condition, while in Nikšić, there are eight patients, two of whom are deteriorating, and the rest are in stable condition.
Kavarić said that four doctors, nurses, and medical technicians in KCCG were infected, that they were in good condition, and that they were being treated at home.
When it comes to testing, Mugoša said that IPH has a 27-member team of experts working on analyses and that the daily number of tests for COVID-19 has increased tenfold.
He said that 2,000 tests were currently awaiting analysis, and these had been sent to Germany. "Control of the epidemic does not depend on tests. It depends on what we have as our plan. That is, everyone who is suspected of having the virus should be at home, and every contact person should be at home," Mugoša said.
Asked to comment on whether the inhabitants of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) can enter Montenegro with a negative serological test or only with PCR, Mugoša said that the conditions for that country do not differ from others.
"As for the countries that are on the green list, their inhabitants can enter freely. The yellow list includes countries whose residents must do a PCR, ELISA, or ECLIA test, which detects antibodies to antigens. These tests are reliable; they have specific characteristics. In most countries, you cannot get a PCR test for days, "stated Mugoša.
Speaking about quarantines, Mugoša said that the need for them still exists.
"I said that the virus would return to Montenegro at some point. "While the pandemic was erupting in Europe and the surrounding areas, with the borders closed, that was completely expected," Mugoša said.
He said that he hoped that soon, with the citizens' efforts and understanding, the need for quarantines would decrease.
According to him, quarantine and self-isolation last 14 days, and in some cases, 21 days, and that refers to those who are being treated at home, to make sure that they will be completely healthy.
Violation of self-isolation is punishable by imprisonment
Whoever endangers someone's health by violating self-isolation is threatened with a sentence of one to eight years in prison, and whoever causes someone's death, by two to 12 years imprisonment.
The announcement was made last night by the National Coordination Body (NKT) for Infectious Diseases.
"Respect measures, protect health - both your own and others'," reads the Twitter message, published on the order of the Government of Montenegro.
New protocol on the treatment of patients and contacts of COVID-19 patients
The Institute of Public Health has adopted a new protocol to treat patients and contacts of COVID-19 patients.
Contacts of sick people are immediately placed in self-isolation - quarantine for 21 days, according to the decision of the inspection.
Sampling is performed if the contact has developed symptoms during the period of self-isolation.
A negative result does not affect the duration/shortening of the self-isolation.
Re-sampling at the end of self-isolation/quarantine is performed only for persons who had symptoms and were negative on the first test.
Self-isolation ceases without testing after 21 days for persons who did not have any problems during the self-isolation.
For persons who had problems during self-isolation and in whom the first test was negative, the self-isolation ceases upon arrival of the second negative test result following 21 days of self-isolation.
National Coordinating Body: It is possible to organize elections
The National Coordination Body for Infectious Diseases (NKT) believes that it is possible to organize the entire upcoming election process while respecting all provisions of the Constitution and laws and the right of every citizen of Montenegro to vote and be elected. The NKT believes it is possible to organize the elections with the inviolable priority of preserving public health. NKT Chief, Milutin Simović spoke to this effect at today's meeting with representatives of the Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
"The key feature of the coronavirus pandemic is unpredictability. But we are monitoring the situation and successfully managing the crisis, which we will continue to do until election day. Public health and the health of every citizen is the most important goal, and all the measures we adopt are primarily related to that goal, "said the president of the NKT at a meeting with OSCE / ODIHR representatives Vladimir Mišev and Oleksiy Lichhovah.
The President of the NKT emphasized that in addition to the operational headquarters, which in its entirety involves thousands of people, for two days now, the NKT has been directly cooperating with the State Election Commission, the Agency for Prevention of Corruption and the civil sector.
The NKT President pointed out that the suggestions of the opposition parties were taken into account in the first phase of the epidemic.
"A high degree of inclusion, i.e., the involvement of all relevant institutions, has been the formula for success. At the sessions, arguments are discussed, and suggestions are given to the Ministry of Health, issuing orders and binding measures. This will be the case in the future, with our additional commitment to preserving every citizen's health - voters and the entire election administration, including observers, despite all the challenges. Our joint obligation is to create an environment for the free expression of the will of the citizens in the upcoming elections, "said Milutin Simović.
"It is necessary to manage the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic all over the world. Such a crisis can only be successfully managed by a government that gains legitimacy in the elections," the NCP president said at a meeting with OSCE/ODIHR representatives.
The meeting was also attended by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Dragan Pejanović, and the Assistant of the Institute of Public Health, Dr. Senad Begić.
