The number of new coronavirus infections in Romania -- the EU member state with the second-lowest vaccination rate -- rose by a record 11,049 in the past 24 hours, authorities announced on September 28.
The previous record -- 10,269 infections -- had been registered in November. A total of 1,210,810 cases have been registered in Romania since the start of the pandemic.
There were 208 fatalities over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths caused by COVID-19 to 36,658.
Romania, a country of some 19.5 million, has vaccinated only a little more than one-third of its adult population amid distrust in state institutions and misinformation campaigns. About 40 percent of medical staff have not been vaccinated and the government is considering making a digital EU COVID-19 passport mandatory for them.
As of September 28, 306 children were hospitalized with the virus -- 17 of them in intensive care. Romania currently only has 26 intensive care beds available and is struggling to add more because of staff shortages. The capital, Bucharest, and other cities are gearing up for restrictions.
