Patients who have bogus vaccine certificates and are then hospitalized after catching Covid-19 should tell medics “the truth,” the chief of Romania’s emergency services said Friday.
Raed Arafat said Covid-19 patients should not worry about „facing criminal charges.” He said they should be honest to ensure they get the best health treatment.
“Medics have to keep the secret. Patients shouldn’t be worried,” he added. He said doctors had no way of knowing whether a patient was actually vaccinated or not.
Vaccine passes are now mandatory in many public buildings after the fourth wave saw record infections and deaths. There are fears that more people may choose to pay for certificates without actually getting immunized.
Romanian authorities are currently investigating hundreds of cases of “vaccines in the sink.” They are cases where people pay medics to get a vaccine certificate but don’t actually get a jab. The dose is disposed of.
“You know that a vaccinated person who gets sick has less chance of getting seriously ill compared to someone who isn’t,” Dr Arafat said.
„Unvaccinated people should tell medics so they get the right treatment,” he said.
He said if a patient confessed to having a fake vaccine certificate, a medic was obliged to keep a secret. But if the patient decided to warn other people about the dangers, the medic could help.
In an unrelated development, authorities said Friday that 78% of Romanian prisoners were vaccinated, more than half the national rate. Three out of five prison guards have been inoculated, The Penitentiary Administration said.
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