July 29, 2020 - In the last 24 hours, the Institute of Public Health of Montenegro has completed PCR analysis of 608 samples for the new coronavirus, among which 67 results were COVID-19 positive. The total number of active cases of COVID-19 in Montenegro is currently 2038.
The National Coordination Body for Infectious Diseases updated the measures and rules against the further spread of COVID-19 on July 26.
Samples of the newly infected were sent for testing from Podgorica 20, Nikšić 11, Pljevlja 8, Bijelo Polje 7, Berane 6, Kotor 4, Plužine 4, Bar 2, Rožaje 2, Plav 1, Herceg Novi 1, and Ulcinj 1.
Two deaths were reported in COVID-19 patients from Rožaje and Plav. The total number of confirmed deaths since the beginning of June is 38. Since the beginning of the first wave of the epidemic in Montenegro on March 17-47.
Another 92 patients have recovered from the infection, bringing the total number of recoveries since June 14 to 616.
Since the beginning of the year, the number of registered cases of new coronavirus infection is 3016.
With the current number of patients and 328 COVID-19 patients per 100,000 inhabitants, Montenegro still leads the countries of the Western Balkans region, where a total of 1,177 new cases of COVID-19 infection have been registered today.
197 COVID-19 patients in hospital
The Assistant Director of the Clinical Centre, Nemanja Radojevic, said that 197 patients infected with coronavirus were hospitalized in Montenegro. In the Clinical Centre 29, in Bar 36, in Berane 63, in Nikšić 33, in Brezovik 23, four in Kodra, four in Pljevlja and five in the hospital in Rožaje.
IPH limits health facilities to a daily number of samples for COVID-19
The Institute of Public Health has recommended to health institutions a daily number of samples they will send for analysis; a good number of institutions are recommended a limit of a dozen swabs a day, Vijesti writes.
The IPH states that this is because they determined that a significant number of the samples sent were not justified, or taken following the clinical and epidemiological indications.
Some health institutions claim that they received a letter from the Institute stating that samples for COVID-19 should be taken only in diagnostically justified cases and that they were allowed to send a maximum of 10 samples of patients with suspected COVID-19 infection daily.
When asked whether this was the case and why the letter had been sent, the IPH replied that their laboratories had previously faced an enormous influx of samples for analysis for COVID-19, which was often higher than capacity, reports Vijesti.
The analysis of the samples sent determined that a significant proportion of them was not justified, i.e., that it was not taken following the existing clinical and epidemiological indications, reads the response of the IPH.
In that way, they claim, it was not only an inadequate waste of resources but a practice that unnecessarily extended the waiting time for results and "made the role of the laboratory in suppressing the COVID-19 epidemic meaningless."
The IPH said that they recommended a daily number of samples, but pointed out that this does not mean that the number of samples is limited. Sampling of contacts of those infected, and of people with COVID-19 symptoms will continue, and the number of taken samples will continue not to be limited.
"In this way, the laboratory is able to function smoothly even in conditions of increased inflow of samples, and to fulfill its public health role," reads the response of the IPH.
The citizens of Montenegro will not be allowed to enter EU countries soon
At today's meeting, the ambassadors of the member states of the European Union (EU) proposed that Montenegro should continue to be outside the list of countries allowed to travel to the EU, Television of Montenegro (TVCG) has learned in Brussels.
As TVCG has learned, there are no new countries on the updated list, nor any countries from the Western Balkans.
The ambassadors' decision should be confirmed by a written procedure, then approved by the member states, and later officially adopted by the EU Council on August 1.
Today's meeting of the permanent representatives of the EU member states in Brussels is also the last before the summer break. In addition to the list of countries, the ambassadors discussed the EU Recovery Fund and the Multiannual Financial Framework, RTCG portal reports.
