2,932 new cases of Covid-19 were added to the total according to the Disease Prevention and Control Center (SPKC), just below the record 3,133 cases added 24 hours earlier, though Saturday's figure was based on more than 1,000 fewer tests conducted.
Of positive cases confirmed Saturday, 2,194 were unvaccinated persons, or persons not fully vaccinated, and 738 were fully vaccinated. The total number of cases detected since the start of the pandemic has now exceeded the 200,000 mark and stands at 200,321.
Of 20,218 tests carried out in the past 24 hours, 14.5% were positive - exactly the same figure as the previous day.
📈 Pēdējo 24h laikā:
— SPKC.gov.lv (@SPKCentrs) October 23, 2021
▫️veikti 20 218 Covid-19 izmeklējumi;
▫️reģistrēti 2932 jauni inficēšanās gadījumi, no tiem 2194 nevakcinēti vai vakcinācijas kursu nepabeiguši, 738 vakcinēti;
The 14-day cumulative infection rate per 100,000 inhabitants continued its steep increase, climbing from 1,539.2 Friday to 1,605 Saturday, which also raises the record level since the start of the pandemic.
Unfortunately there was also confirmation of 26 more Covid-related deaths, the largest daily death toll since 32 fatalities were recorded on February 10. All the victims were aged 50 years or over. The death toll since the start of the pandemic rose past the 3,000 mark as a result and now stands at 3,018.
🏥 Aktuālā statistika par stacionāros esošo Covid-19 pacientu ārstēšanu. Kopā stacionāros ārstējas 1277 pacienti: 1123 ar vidēji smagu slimības gaitu; 154 ar smagu slimības gaitu. Jauni gadījumi - 206. Pēdējo 24H laikā izrakstītis 161 pacients. pic.twitter.com/qyfZvChJnb
— NVD (@VMNVD) October 23, 2021
With the infection wave still strengthening, the level of hospitalizations continues to be a main focus of attention as hospitals are stretched to full capacity. Latest data show that 1,277 patients are being treated for Covid-19 symptoms in Latvia's hospitals, again the largest figure since the start of the pandemic. Of that number, 154 patients are displaying serious symptoms.
There was some evidence that more people are belatedly choosing to vaccinate. On October 22, some 9,716 people received a first vaccine dose and 1,880 received a second dose. To date 967,814 people in Latvia have completed a course of vaccination.
The epidemiological situation in all three Baltic states continues to be extremely serious. Lithuania also recorded nearly 3,000 cases during the last 24 hours and Estonia recorded more than 1,600 cases.
Covid-19 information
A summary in English of the latest Covid-19 situation including restrictions in place and rules on public assembly is available at this special government website. Here is our summary of the rules.
You can find the latest Covid-19 statistics at this official website.
The dedicated hotline for Covid-19 related inquiries (24 hours, 7 days a week) is 8345. The number for medical emergencies is 113. There is a Latvian language hotline 8989 which allows people to both register for vaccination and receive answers to questions about the process of vaccination.
There is also a website to register for vaccination, https://manavakcina.lv/ which includes an English-language version. See this earlier story for a simple summary of what to do. You are allowed to break lockdown to travel to and from vaccination.
If you have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, or you have fully recovered from a confirmed case of it, you can obtain a digital certificate attesting to your status at the website https://covid19sertifikats.lv/.
Latvia is also part of the European Union's wider Covid-19 certification scheme. All arrivals to the country (including returnees) need to fill in an electronic declaration prior to coming to Latvia. It is available at the website covidpass.lv. For the latest rules on entry and exit rules for international travellers, see this webpage for details of the latest country-specific entry regulations.