With the total number of citizens who were diagnosed with the coronavirus rising over 10,000, another, even more worrying statistic, points to the high prevalence of positive tests. Olga Lozanovska from VMRO-DPMNE pointed to the fact that more than 10 percent of all tests are returning positive. This shows that the Second Wave of the epidemic, that has hit Macedonia since the end of the month of Ramadan, is still in full force.

Our authorities are still unclear whether we are in the peak of the first wave, or in a second wave, have not fully identified the clusters and the sources and are lost as to what to do, Lozanovska said, calling out Healthcare Minister Venko Filipce for mismanaging the epidemic. Macedonia has the worst infection and mortality rates in the region, and currently has over 4,000 active cases, while the death toll is approaching 500. The level of 10,000 total infections was surpassed late last week.

Lozanovska said that the Healthcare Ministry is also failing to control local outbreaks, such as the one in Bitola. The city was generally well protected from the coronavirus, but in just two weeks spiked to 60 active cases.