Latvia might allocate a hospital for COVID-19 patients only if needed

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If COVID-19 rate continues to grow rapidly, one hospital could only be dedicated to coronavirus patients, Health Minister Ilze Viņķele told Latvian Television October 26.

Viņķele said it is currently not determined exactly which hospital could be converted into a specialized COVID-19 hospital should the necessity come.

There are currently 250 patient beds available for COVID-19 patients, but hospitals are able to reorganize, providing space for up to 1,000 COVID-19 patients. But Viņķele called on the public to be aware that it would be at the expense of some other patients.

The Minister said that the actions of people, whether respecting or failing to comply with the restrictions, affect not only them but also their fellow human beings.

She also said that there are around 550 artificial inhalation machines currently available in Latvia. The question is whether there is enough medical staff to operate them all at the same time. "But neither I nor the society wants to experience this situation where we need to check whether all those machines can work simultaneously," said the Minister.

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