We must find effective way to vaccinate as many people per day as the number of available vaccines - PM

RIGA - The main task is to use all the vaccines available in Latvia, so we need to find an effective way to vaccinate as many people per day as the number of vaccines delivered to the vaccination points, Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins told TV3 this morning.

The Prime Minister noted that yesterday the first mass vaccination center was opened in Ventspils. The main task is to use up all the vaccines as they arrive. "It looks like the big centers are ready to work. The main thing now is to wait for the delivery of the vaccines, distribute them in time and vaccinate the population with them. If the process goes as promised, the situatiin will gradually get better," the politician admitted.

The Prime Minister believes that interest in vaccination will increase as more people receive the vaccine. "The more we get to know about people who have become vaccinated, the more others will get vaccinated," said Karins.

He reminded that vaccination is currently taking place on the principle of priority. However, at some point, when there will be no more people from the priority groups who are ready to be vaccinated, then the system must be flexible enough to open up for the next priority groups at some point, because the main thing is to vaccinate the population.

Looking at the experience of other countries in allowing people who are not in the priority groups to receive the vaccine, Karins acknowledged that there are various ways to organize such a process, for example, providing set times so that anyone can stand in line for the vaccine.

"The main thing is that if 1,000 vaccines arrive at the vaccination center, then those 1,000 vaccines must also be used that day. A flexible way must be found so that we do not have to wait several days to find people for the vaccine," the prime minister emphasized.