Reality Bites: Understanding the Ongoing Covid Situation in Romania 

Hello, listeners, and welcome to Dominick and Luca’s very first podcast of the year.  

In this episode, they’re interviewing two people in hopes of better understanding the country’s current pandemic situation: a representative from the American Embassy in Romania and a manager of a pharmaceutical company (who wishes to remain anonymous).

Hopefully, these interviews and commentary provide some insight. Enjoy!

Show Notes:

• The U.S. Embassy in Romania’s website, with updates on COVID-19.
• Romania suffered through a horrible 4th wave. Here’s just one of the many articles covering this.
• Fake vaccination cards have been a problem in Romania, as explained in this EU Observer article.
• Dominick’s opinion about Covid turning into a seasonal “flu” is shared by many scientists, although no one knows for sure at this point. Here is an article from Nature that explains this in more detail.
• Most people who receive the vaccine have mild side effects, if any. There are a few rare side effects (which are often also associated with getting COVID-19). Here’s an article from John Hopkins Medicine that talks about these effects.
• Luca mentions the Omicron variant. It’s difficult to know what to expect, but scientists are “racing to gauge the threat of Omicron,” according to a recent New York Times article.
• Several pharmaceutical companies are working on antiviral or anti-covid pills. Here’s a recent article from Yale Medicine about the new treatment.

Have ideas for future episodes? Comment below!