Veryga lists three main risks and warns: there are very complex residual events after coronavirus

The three biggest risks

Minister of Health A. Veryga Delphi it also identified the most troubling issues at this time.

“There are several risks that will show how we are doing. This is the beginning of a new school year, we will see results in approximately 10 days. (…) Others – students who come to the universities and their lives, their meetings. Because it is clear that they will return home, they ride. It is a question of how we will do it here ”, she mentioned the most sensitive issues.

“And the third very important thing is that the weather is cool. Older people are coming back from the gardens, with higher flows to the treatment facilities. This is another risk here that is very important to manage.

It is also very important for people to understand that certain security measures are not to make entry difficult, but to control the spread of the virus in a treatment facility so that they do not have to close and can provide help. Here will be another very serious challenge. Because in summer it is a little easier to live in medical institutions “, – Delphi A. Veryga said.

Fear of students coming to cities

The minister said that after the end of the outdoor coffee season, a complete suspension of the activities of public catering establishments should not be expected.

“Well, I would hope that there is no such solution due to the total restriction of bars, cafes and restaurants after the end of the outdoor coffee season. (…) Because it is really possible to secure all the requirements, it is feasible,” he said.

At a press conference last Friday, the minister asked not to go to nightclubs, but their opening hours are likely to be limited to just this week.

And because of the reduction in working hours in nightclubs, it was simply not such a decision in government. And it was envisioned that it would take a little more time to report so companies could prepare. This decision is likely to be made this week, ”he said.

A. Veryga said that an important argument for this is that young people come to study.

“One of the arguments that I will make is the same September 1. When students come to the cities, illnesses seem unlikely to them. (…) Just knowing that people are together and looking for ways to have fun, get together, celebrate, the declarations of the owners of the discotheques that they will take care of everything are beyond reality, “said the Minister of Health.

Parents of students preparing for the school year are also concerned. The Minister said that everything possible would be done to minimize distance education.

“It just came to our knowledge then. Educational institutions can also go to distance education without the decision of specific cities. (…) This is also the objective of organizing these processes in the most efficient way possible, so that not even all the institution has to go to distance education. And so that young people can go to work, “said the minister.

“The least likely scenario is that all institutions will go back to distance education,” he said.

Why get tired of wearing masks?

A demonstration was held in Vilnius on Saturday, urging Health Minister A. Veryga to resign as minister. The minister said he did not commit to doing so, and the question was raised about the people who participated in the rally.

“I’m not really going to withdraw, I have mentioned many times that as long as I have the confidence of both the Prime Minister and colleagues in the group, I really don’t see the need for that. And that demonstration, apparently, raises many of those questions: Are those claims really justified? All the more because the public there was very diverse, from what I could see the photos, it seems that there are people who are not satisfied with everything, whatever the topic ”- on the rally held in Vilnius on Saturday Delphi A. Veryga said.

The minister considered that perhaps people were tired of wearing masks.

“You may be tired of wearing those masks. Another thing that should not be forgotten is that those who do not like that mask, or those groups that spread a certain discontent, usually appeal to the fact that there were no viruses here, we apply these measures unnecessarily, ”said the Minister.

Veryga said he wrote in several private messages stating that the coronavirus did not exist. And she spoke with its authors. The minister was surprised that some did not believe what was happening in northern Italy in the spring.

“It is then, you know, very difficult to argue.” It is very difficult for people living in an inverted reality to find arguments and explanations, “he said.

The Minister of Health, A. Veryga, recalled that although the information on the use of masks has changed, only the most recent information should be taken into account.

“There were various opinions about those masks. If we look at everything chronologically, then maybe the confusion at the beginning of the pandemic, the ignorance of what those masks protect us, is a leg. In addition to the recommendations of the World Health Organization ( WHO), his opinion was then quite skeptical, then it changed, new evidence and arguments emerged.

And my skepticism remains twisted on Facebook. But after all, life is changing, new things are emerging, evidence. You have to look at them, not take them away from what was a while ago, because that was the knowledge at that time, “he said.

Is it worth removing travel restrictions?

The incidence of coronavirus in the European Union (EU) has almost stabilized, and almost all countries are facing a similar situation. Mr. Veryga agrees that travel restrictions and critical morbidity rates should be reviewed.

“It seems that a similar question will arise for the EU countries. We discussed a little about what that indicator should be so that countries do not restrict movement again. Because if we all become similar or almost the same, what is the point of closing some to others? Such discussion is likely to occur, “he said Monday Delphi A. Veryga said.

The Minister hoped that this debate would take place in the EU as a whole, and not individually.

“It would be good if it started and was carried out not in individual countries, but in the EU as a whole. Because those 16 cases are 100 thousand. Population in 14 days, co-denominator was born as common denominator. (…) I think it would be It is good that Europe reviewed this figure, the preliminary proposal on our part would be 25 cases per 100,000 population indicator ”, said the Minister of Health.

According to the latest data, Lithuania has almost reached 16 cases per 100,000. population for 14 days. In Latvia, the situation is much better. According to A. Veryga, everything will depend on the decisions of Latvia.

“It is difficult to say how they will decide. I think such a debate is really taking place in Latvia, it cannot fail. And epidemiologists are also talking about politicians,” said A. Veryga about Latvia.

The minister stressed that the new numbers of coronavirus cases registered this weekend are quite similar to the previous ones. And that means that the cases are not growing exponentially.

“In Estonia, the situation is perhaps more similar to Lithuania than Latvia. (…) Latvia is still in an exceptionally good situation and will have to decide what to do. Because it seems that they could have to close on both sides if that were the case. ( …) It is up to the Latvians whether or not they will destroy that Baltic bubble. Because it is clear that neither Lithuania nor Estonia want to destroy it, “said the minister.

There is no magic way

Health Minister A. Veryga said that no other country has a miraculous way of fighting a pandemic. Therefore, all strategies are based on the same tools.

“I don’t think we will find magic and special tools. (…) We are alike with certain variations and nuances. These are infection control: border control, isolation, testing, treatment, etc. What I think will be discussed today in the teleconference is the beginning of the school year and how countries will behave and do it. That is how much I have had to read reviews, using similar principles. (…) We will see if there really will be exceptionally ingenious proposals or practices that the parties have elaborate, we will really try to adapt. But we will not find miraculous things, “said the minister.

And he added that all countries are waiting for one: a vaccine. According to A. Veryga, the first vaccines may arrive in EU countries this year.

“It just came to our attention then. And other vaccines would arrive in the first quarter of next year. But this is the theory of what it will be like, we will see.” It is clear that this cold fall season, when the flu and colds will spread, we will definitely have to survive without the vaccine, “said the interlocutor.

Causes of decreased mortality

The downward trend in coronavirus mortality has become particularly active on social media. This argument is used to emphasize that the virus is no longer so threatening. According to A. Veryga, the decrease in the mortality rate is determined by several factors.

“If we look at the morbidity itself and where the virus is spreading now, it is more among young people than at the beginning of the virus. We do not have such an intense spread in medical institutions, nursing homes, where the most vulnerable group of people is. and the risk of death is greater. And one more thing: doctors already know about this disease, they know what to do and how to behave, “he recalled.

“Of course, it all depends on how many patients are admitted to medical institutions, although they are very few, it is possible to provide exceptional assistance. (Bet) But if the virus begins to spread very quickly and many people end up in hospitals, then care it becomes more complicated, then the number of deaths increases ”, said the interlocutor A. Veryga.

People with coronavirus speak of mild symptoms of the disease and also say that the threat of the disease is exaggerated. A. Veryga listed all the remaining symptoms of the disease recorded.

“For those who have more severe symptoms of the disease, as much as we have to read publications now, it can remain a permanent phenomenon, especially lung damage, for example, the lung tissue becomes hard, inelastic, the lung volume decreases. Yes You are a young person, it is more difficult for you to lift physical activity, in general, you can develop respiratory failure, ”said A. Veryga.