The Omicron Covid-19 variant has impacted medical workers more than previous variants, said Latvian Hospital Association manager Jevgēņijs Kalējs in an interview to LTV programme Rīta panorāma.
According to her, in the previous Covid-19 wave about 200 medical workers were unable to come to work due to infection or contact person status. This number now exceeds 300.
It is good that medical workers survive Covid-19 infection thanks to Covid-19 vaccination. This also helps ease the severity of infection.
Kalējs said currently there are thoughts about shortening the quarantine term for vaccinated medical workers who show no symptoms. The ten to 14-day quarantine period is proposed to be reduced to five days. This topic is actively discussed with hospital managers and Ministry of Health.
The leader of the association stresses that it is highly important to preserve the capacity of the healthcare system, which is impossible to do if there are not medical workers employed there. To avoid infection, all parties should comply with all preventive measures. Many medical workers have already switched to using medical masks and respirators, adds Kalējs.
As previously reported, in the last couple of weeks there has been a rapid growth of Covid-19 infection cases, reaching new anti-records. The biggest number of new infection cases found in Latvia in a single day was found on Wednesday – 9 143, according to information from the Disease Prevention and Control Centre.
The two-week cumulative infection index has increased from 2 885.8 to 3 239.9 cases per 100 000 in the last 24 hours.
Union leader: Omicron has impacted medical workers more than previous Covid-19 variants
