Covid-19 incidence in Latvia declining slowly, no reason to ease restrictions - CDC

RIGA - The number of Covid-19 infections in Latvia has been declining for two consecutive weeks but the decline has been very slow, the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) said, noting that last week the infection rate decreased by negligible 1.9 percent from the week before.

As LETA was told at the CDC, Latvia's cumulative 14-day number of Covid-19 cases per 100,000 population is now 508.7. Meanwhile, Covid-19 cases are on the rise again in Estonia, where the cumulative 14-day incidence has hit 648.5, the second highest figure in the European Union.

CDC representatives repeatedly underlined that to claim an improvement of the epidemiological situation and consider a relaxation of some Covid-19 restrictions, the two-week incidence would have to drop below 200 cases per 100,000 population, or no more than 270 new cases per day.

Of the 66,173 Covid-19 tests performed in Latvia in the past seven days, 7.3 percent came back positive. The week before, by comparison, the number of tests was 68,325 and the share of positive tests was 7.2 percent. Testing has decreased by 3.1 percent to an average of 9,453 tests per day, as compared to 8,761 tests per day the week before. 

In the past week, Latvia confirmed 4,813 new Covid-19 cases, down from 4,906 new cases the week before. Infection rates fell across all regions of Latvia, except the western Latvian province of Kurzeme which recorded a slight increase in new coronavirus cases.

In recent weeks, Covid-19 cases have tended to grow in children, particularly in 15 to 19 years old teenagers, while the infection rate in older people, aged 65 and older, has been gradually decreasing.

Latvia's Covid-19 reproductivity indicator (R) has risen to 1 from 0.92 the week before, which means that, theoretically, every 100 infected people pass the virus on to another 100 people.

Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals reduced by 16.2 percent over the past seven days, with an average of 70 Covid-19 patients admitted to hospital per day. According to the February 21 data released by the National Health Center, there are currently 819 Covid-19 patients receiving treatment in Latvia's hospitals, including 740 people with symptoms of medium severity and 79 severe patients.

As reported, Latvia confirmed 274 new Covid-19 cases and four people died of the coronavirus on Sunday, according to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC).

Of the latest Covid-19 victims, one person was aged between 55 and 60, two were aged between 60 and 70, and one was of the age of 75-80.

Of the 3,334 Covid-19 tests carried out on Sunday, 8.5 percent came back positive. The CDC explained earlier that in the European Union this indicator is considered important because when this figure rises above 4 percent, the spread of the disease is considered to be rapid and uncontrolled.

Latvia's total Covid-19 caseload thus reached 81,793, while death toll grew to 1,546 people.

Two-week cumulative Covid-10 incidence in Latvia is 508.7 cases per 100,000 residents. In the past two weeks, 9,705 people have tested positive for Covid-19.