A woman wearing a face mask sits in a bus in Belgrade, Serbia, Oct. 22, 2020. Serbia has registered a record 1,000 new COVID-19 cases, the country's Health Ministry confirmed in a press release on Oct. 27. According to the ministry, samples from 9,430 people have been tested in the past 24 hours, of which 1,053 were positive for coronavirus. (Xinhua/Shi Zhongyu)
BELGRADE, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Serbia has registered a record 1,000 new COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour span, the country's Health Ministry confirmed in a press release on Tuesday.
According to the ministry, samples from 9,430 people have been tested in the past 24 hours, of which 1,053 were positive for coronavirus.
"Five people died from this disease, so that the total number of deaths is 798, while the mortality rate is 1.95 percent," the press release read.
Since the beginning of the pandemic in Serbia in early March, a total of 40,880 cases have been registered and 1,298,949 tests conducted.
Currently, 823 people are hospitalized in Serbia with coronavirus, and 38 of them are on ventilators.
Although the number of infections peaked last week, no new measures were announced by the authorities. Instead, they called on the public to strictly adhere to the ones already in force.
The wearing of face masks is already mandatory indoors across Serbia, including in schools for students and teachers alike. Gatherings of more than 30 people are prohibited, social distancing is advised, as along with the wearing of masks outdoors, especially when distancing is not possible. Shops, bars and restaurants must close at 11 p.m.
Immunologist Srdja Jankovic, a member of Serbia's crisis response team for COVID-19, told the public broadcaster RTS on Tuesday that Serbia faces the threat of an exponential increase in new cases. He urged the public to strictly comply with the precautionary measures.
"Before we discuss bringing in stricter measures, we need to implement those that we have already -- to avoid gatherings, wear masks, keep a distance," Jankovic said.
As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, countries including France, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States are racing to find a vaccine.
According to the website of the World Health Organization, as of Oct. 19, there were 198 COVID-19 candidate vaccines being developed worldwide, and 44 of them were in clinical trials. Enditem
