As Covid-19 continues to spread, the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (SPKC) is urging people at increased risk of severe illness to receive the seasonal vaccination, said SPKC spokesperson Edīte Tettere.
The latest epidemiological surveillance data confirms a continued rise in Covid-19 cases and a worsening of the overall situation. According to SPKC, the share of positive tests increased from 8% in the first week of August to 17.3% in the last week of August. Hospitals have also reported a rise in newly admitted Covid-19 patients: eight patients were hospitalised in early August, compared to 48 in the last week. Three Covid-19-related deaths were also reported in August. Wastewater monitoring indicates an increased circulation of the virus towards the end of summer.
SPKC notes that a similar trend was observed last year, when the seasonal Covid-19 wave began in late summer and early autumn.
The centre highlights that vaccination is especially recommended for people at high risk of severe disease, including all residents aged 65 and over. It is also recommended for patients with medium or high immunosuppression, including adolescents and children from six months of age, adults with serious chronic conditions, and pregnant women.
People caring daily for seniors or
individuals with serious health problems are also encouraged to get vaccinated.
Latvia has already received updated Covid-19 vaccines adapted to this season’s circulating variants. The adapted Comirnaty LP.8.1 vaccines are intended for adults and adolescents aged 12 and over, children aged 5–11, and children from six months to four years. Healthcare providers, including family doctors and vaccination centres, can already order the updated vaccines. Several providers have received their supplies, and information about these is available on the SPKC website.
SPKC calls on doctors and healthcare institutions to actively take part in seasonal Covid-19 vaccination and ensure access for at-risk patients. Eligible individuals are advised to contact their family doctor. If a clinic has not yet received its supply, the doctor can order it; deliveries are organised twice a month.
Vaccination reduces the risk of severe illness, hospitalisation, and death from Covid-19, SPKC stresses. Latvian data confirms this: in the 2024–2025 vaccination season, the risk of hospitalisation was 2.3 times higher and the risk of death 3.1 times higher among unvaccinated seniors compared to those who received the seasonal vaccine.
According to SPKC’s monitoring, 22,217 people were vaccinated during the previous season (August 1, 2024 – March 25, 2025), including 15,059 individuals aged 60 and over – 2.8% of the age group. Across the EU and EEA, around 13.6 million people aged 60+ were vaccinated during the same period. The median vaccination coverage among seniors was 8.7%, though rates varied widely: only one country exceeded 50%, with Sweden reaching 52.8%, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Based on Latvia’s Mortality Database, 317 people died of Covid-19 during the past season, of whom 89% were aged 65 and over. Of those who died, 99.1% had not received the seasonal vaccination.
Read also: Florida to end mandatory vaccinations for children; Democrats predict health system disaster
Read also: Vaccination stalls; scientists call to action