From 15 February onward Latvia’s government will impose a validity term for Covid-19 vaccination certificates for situations when residents wish to receive services. For Johnson&Johnson vaccine it will be five months and nine months for all other vaccines, as provided by the government’s amendments to the order on the declaration of a state of emergency approved on Thursday, 6 January.
Epidemiologist Ņikita Trojanskis recommends residents to sign up for booster shots, because when it comes to Omicron variant, vaccines reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death. Nevertheless, both vaccinated and people who have already undergone booster shot vaccination can still be tested positive.
He stresses that booster shots improve the situation not just by reducing the risk of hospitalisation but also by temporarily reducing the risk of transmission.
Covid-19 vaccination certificate’s validity term will not extend to employment. At the same time, State Chancellery Director and head of the Operational Management Group Jānis Citskovskis said at a meeting of the government that he would recommend this measure.
The Ministry of Health noted in annotation to amendments that a validity term of nine months is planned to be imposed for Covid-19 certificates when travelling in Europe.
Read also: Latest Covid-19 cases in Baltics. 1 994 in Latvia, 3 053 in Lithuania, 1 643 in Estonia
After the meeting of the Coalition Parties Council this Tuesday, 4 January, Minister of Health Daniels Pavļuts said that the people who will have vaccinated by 15 September or earlier vaccination certificate validity term will end in the middle of February 2022. This is why the minister urged residents to receive booster shots to renew their certificate.
Latvian government to impose vaccination certificate validity term for provision of services
