It is good to see recovering patients on a daily basis. Today there are 18, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 139, said Health Minister Venko Filipce on Friday.

Minister Filipce confirmed the 36 new new cases and three deceased patients.

The number of registered cases now stands at 1,117 of which 929 are active cases. There were 437 tests made over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of tests to 10,859, putting Macedonia on the second place in the region by the number of tests per million, Filipce told the daily press conference.

He said the two laboratories in the Macedonian Academy for Sciences an Arts (MANU) and the Institute of Forensic Medicine will be put into use next week.

Minister Filipce and French Ambassador Christian Thimonier discussed the possibility of support worth EUR 5,000 to the Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinic from organization “Project Hope”, including masks, protective suits and footwear.

Filipce also talked to United States Ambassador Kate Marie Byrnes and attended a meeting hosted by the World Health Organization, focusing on exchange of opinions over the setup of health systems and future planning.

We concluded that the disease will continue to exist after the peak and there will probably be sections in the health system dedicated to COVID-19 patients. Seen in perspective, autumn and winter, countries will probably face with coronavirus and seasonal flu patients and the setup of the health system will have to be seriously analyzed, noted Filipce.

According to him, staying home makes a difference and saves lives, helps health workers who will spend the Easter holidays on the job, fighting for every life.