We are "preparing for storm" due to Covid-19 - hospital

RIGA - Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, Riga East University Hospital (RAKUS) ir "preparing for storm", said RAKUS board chairman Imants Paeglitis in an interview with the Latvian public television today.

Paeglitis explained that the hospital is getting ready for a large number of Covid-19 passengers and for a situation when a large number of employees have got the infection.

At present, the hospital is treating about 200 Covid-19 passengers, including 25 with severe symptoms. The hospital said that the difference from the previous Covid-19 wave is that quite many Covid-19 patients are admitted without Covid-19 symptoms and placed in different hospital wards.

Paeglitis said that forecasts about relatively light symptoms for Covid-19 omicron variant have come true as for the large number of new Covid-19 infections, the number of patients in need of hospitalization is not large.

Of the hospitalized Covid-19 patients, about 70 percent are unvaccinated, while the share of unvaccinated patients among those with severe Covid-19 symptoms is 90 percent.

The work of the hospital has not become easier, though, and many scheduled health care services have to be postponed. The occupancy of beds in Gailezers hospital is around 85 percent which is very high, said Paeglitis.