The increase in the number of SARS-CoV-2 infection cases earlier this year and the proclamation of the pandemic by the World Health Organization has changed the human behavior globally. First of all, the pandemic had a strong psychological impact, with people continuously exposed to alarming news, uncertainties surrounding the virus and the possible consequences on their health.

Home quarantine, with restricted freedom of movement, has induced panic and hysteria among people. We remember that at the beginning of the pandemic, the supermarkets were stormed, and their shelves were emptied by people trying to stock up out of fear of the unknown. Such situations have not been encountered only in our country but have been present globally.

This approach, of people stocking up, was not limited to food and hygiene products. With the gradual appearance in the press of treatment guidelines, people also tried to take possession of "life-saving" drugs, using various methods. In Romania, this practice has been very evident since the beginning of the crisis generated by the new coronavirus.

Hydroxychloroquine is one of the first drugs used against COVID-19 and the first for which there was an availability crisis in our country. Azithromycin and dexamethasone (but also other corticosteroids, especially methylprednisolone) are other drugs that are still difficult to find in pharmacies in Romania. Moreover, the stocks of vitamin D or low molecular weight heparins in pharmacies have also drastically decreased.

The unrestricted purchase of drugs from treatment guidelines for infection with the novel coronavirus has at least two negative aspects. The first is the risk of self-medication - for example hydroxychloroquine can cause QT prolongation with cardiac arrhythmias; the use of azithromycin is by far an abuse that leads to increased bacterial resistance at both individual and macrosocial level, and the administration of corticosteroids has been shown to be effective only in severe forms of the disease, having no indication in mild forms treated at home or in the early stages of the disease. The second negative aspect is the unavailability of these drugs for patients who need them in order to treat diseases other than COVID-19, as seen in the beginning of the pandemic with the hydroxychloroquine crisis, for patients with immune diseases.

Moreover, even the purchase of the influenza vaccine, even with a medical recommendation, has become a challenge. The fear of a double epidemic has increased the number of people who want to be vaccinated against influenza, but it is almost impossible to find the vaccine in pharmacies and waiting lists have been created for this purpose.

The COVID-19 pandemic took us all by surprise. People's reactions, although exaggerated, can be considered normal in this context. However, we need our active involvement in providing moral support and advising the population correctly when it comes to purchasing and administering a drug. Personalizing treatment for each patient is the key to minimizing the mortality rate in this pandemic.