The situation in Lithuania's Covid-19 wards has been intense, but stable over the last weeks, according to Health Minister Arūnas Dulkys. There are still about vacant 100 beds in ICUs for Covid patients, which allows the government not to declare a strict lockdown yet.
Although Lithuania has been reporting as many daily infections as during the height of the last coronavirus wave, when the country was put under a lockdown, the situation is different now, according to Dulkys.
“The number of cases is not the key indicator right now, since it includes many children, young people, vaccinated people, who do not put much stress on the healthcare system,” Dulkys told LRT RADIO on Tuesday, adding that the government is more focused on the number of hospitalised patients.
“If during the peak of the second wave we had 2,500-3,000 patients in Lithuanian hospitals, and 250-260 in intensive care, today, for comparison, we have close to 2,000 patients and 140-150 in ICUs,” Dulkys said.
More importantly, he added, the number of ICU cases has been stable over the last three weeks.
The government would consider introducing a strict lockdown, if the number of Covid patients in need of intensive care reached 240, according to Dulkys. “This would be a signal that the system [is overwhelmed and] cannot provide regular services.”
A strict lockdown would entail restrictions on movement, events, and economic activities, he said.
“Over the last three weeks, to use a sports lingo, we've been playing neck and neck [against the pandemic], but we're still ahead and winning,” according to Dulkys.
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