Covid-19, EU – Baltic States, Health, Latvia, Markets and Companies

Thus, the Health Ministry would order second and third level hospitals to take over patients from university and regional hospitals.

"We agreed that special cooperation territories are developed," the state secretary said, adding that this will help hospitals to more efficiently exchange information about introduced restrictions of services. Cooperation networks will be formed around regional hospitals.

"Four hospitals, including the Riga East University Hospital, have reached a critically high capacity of beds, she said.

The state of emergency will help to give hospital heads larger authority. It will also be easier for hospitals to attract human resources for treatment of Covid-19 patients, also those medics who usually do not work with infections.

Health Minister Ilze Vinkele (For Development) said in an interview with the Latvian public television that the state would enable hospitals' administrations to take reorganization decisions more freely and limit elective and outpatient services if needed.

According to the data released by the National Health Service, 102 Covid-19 patients were admitted to hospital in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of coronavirus patients in hospitals to 744.

Of the hospitalized Covid-19 patients, 40 are severe cases, while 704 have symptoms of medium severity.

Another 65 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospital in the past 24 hours. In all, 1,863 Covid-19 patients have left hospital so far.

Altogether 890 new Covid-19 cases were confirmed in Latvia in the past 24 hours, while 11 more coronavirus patients died, the Center for Disease Prevention and Control reported.