Latvia is on the eve of a new Covid-19 wave that could last until the end of February, said a specialist of the National Health Service’s Vaccination Project Office Ņikita Trojanskis in an interview to LTV programme Rīta panorāma.
The epidemiologist believes the Omicron Covid-19 wave will be longer and more severe in Latvia than elsewhere in Europe. Trojanskis links it with low vaccination coverage, especially among risk groups.
Even if Omicron is milder than Delta, many people will still end up hospitalised or dead, estimated Trojanskis, adding that he predicts in a couple of weeks the number of hospitalised patients will increase and exceed 1 000. Worst case scenario – the number of hospitalised patients may exceed several thousand people.
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Trojanskis believes prohibiting the use of fabric masks in favour of medical masks and respirators is a step in the right direction, but it will not be enough to halt the rapid spread of Covid-19. This is why the epidemiologist believes Latvia should go as far as shutting down social and cultural life, indoor and maybe even outdoor sports activities until the end of February.
Anaesthesiologist Roberts Fūrmanis mentioned in an interview to TV3 that a major increase of Covid-19 infection cases is expected in Latvia in the near future. He believes many in Latvia will have gone through the infection in spite of preventive measures put in place. The bigger question is how many of them will have ended up hospitalised.
When asked if Latvia’s current measures are enough for the situation, Fūrmanis refrained from giving an opinion, adding at the same time that when compared to other European countries, the measures put in place in Latvia have been relatively tight so far.
Epidemiologist says new Covid-19 wave in Latvia may last until March
