Fire kills 10 at Romanian COVID-19 hospital

At least 10 people have died in a fire at a Romanian hospital treating coronavirus patients.

The blaze broke out in the intensive care unit of the Piatra Neamt county hospital and spread to an adjoining room. It was unclear what triggered it, officials said.

Seven other people were injured and in a critical condition, including the doctor on call, the country's agency for emergency situations (ISU) said.

Prosecutors said they would investigate the cause of the fire.

Health Minister Nelu Tataru told reporters six surviving patients would be transferred to a COVID-19 hospital in the eastern Romanian city of Iasi.

The injured doctor, who had severe burns on 40 per cent of his body, would be transferred to a hospital in the capital Bucharest, Tataru said.

"In future legislation, all public hospitals will be coordinated by the health ministry," Tataru said without elaborating. Local hospitals are currently run by county councils, making overall supervision of the health system difficult.

The Piatra Neamt hospital would continue to run an intensive care unit on a separate floor.

Romania, which has one of the European Union's least developed healthcare infrastructures, has reported 353,185 coronavirus cases and 8,813 deaths.

Just under 13,000 people with COVID-19 were in hospital across Romania on Saturday, including 1,172 in intensive care units.