Serbia sees third coronavirus death, president calls for mass testing

TANJUG/Dragan Kujundžić

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday that a third coronavirus patient had died in a Belgrade hospital.

Vucic told a daily news conference that the 60 year old woman died on Monday afternoon in the Dragisa Misovic hospital.  

The president said that the Serbian authorities would start mass testing for coronavirus within the next 48 hours, following the advice of Chinese doctors who are in Serbia to help the country combat the pandemic.

“We have enough tests for this and we will get more and people who can do the tests in the quickest way,” he said. He said that everyone who tests positive for the coronavirus would be hospitalized with mild cases separated from serious cases. Mild cases would be placed in buildings with easy access where the army will install 3,000 beds, most probably in big fairground or sports halls. Non-invasive respirators will be used for what Vucic called medium hard cases while the most serious cases will be on clinical respirators, he said adding that more respirators are coming in the next few days.

Vucic said he discussed ways to assault the coronavirus with the Chinese doctors as well as additional measures to help the health care system and economic measures.

According to the president, the Chinese doctors expressed satisfication with the use of chloroquine to treat coronavirus patients and added that the production of that medication would be discussed with the Galenika pharmaceuticals company.

“We have enough for thousands of patients and are prepared to make it and buy new quantities,” he said.

He said the Chinese doctors feel that the curfew should not be extended if people stick to the imposed measures but added that the isolation of 10 Belgrade municipalities is being considered because they are hotbeds of the disease.