We expect admitted patients to outnumber those released in the next seven days and that is why we should withstand this wave. Afterwards we expect a drop in the number of hospitalized patients, said Health Minister Venko Filipce on Wednesday.

It is very important to have the situation under control and we are making plans on a daily basis. I have intensive communication with hospital directors, and assessments, organization, reorganization are carried out daily, Minister Filipce told a press conference.

According to him, this is the biggest health crisis that the country has ever faced.

It is not easy but we have the knowledge, capacity, organization and plan towards overcoming this crisis. Until now we have properly managed the crisis, we prepared the system for this scenario and now we are implementing it. I ask the people and all stakeholders in society to support the health workers, added Filipce.

In the past couple of days, we’ve been working intensively on organizing and planning hospital capacities in a bid to respond to the increase in the number of patients. At the moment, there are 330 COVID-19 patients treated in public health institutions in our country, Filipce said.

Infectious diseases wards and clinics have been overwhelmed. Some health workers are exhausted after fighting against the coronavirus for four months, the Health Minister told a news conference.

The country, Filipce said, needs to reorganize and to prepare in this stage of the epidemic to cushion the surge in patients by mobilizing and organizing all disposable resources.

We must and we can protect the health system to reduce as much as we can the pressure on health workers and to provide all patients with adequate treatment, the Minister stated.

On Tuesday, 54 doctors and nurses arrived in Skopje to assist their colleagues at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases and the General Hospital.

A plan has been already made for other rotations from all public health institutions in the country, including clinics and hospitals. Currently, most clinics and infectious diseases wards can still admit patients, they are not fully occupied, however they still need additional support, Filipce said, adding private hospitals had also offered support to deploy staff.

Macedonia on Wednesday registered 193 new cases and nine fatalities. Death toll has reached 210.