Following S. Skvernelis’ stormy speech, new rapid test buying secrets were opened at the Seimas

“The findings of the experts allowed us to make such decisions that we needed to test, test, test and as much as possible, and there was not enough tests to go from 100 a day to 6 thousand all labs a day”, in response to questions of the opposition on the purchase of rapid tests. , S.Svvernelis spoke.

On Wednesday 15min premiere You asked which experts and when did they make such recommendations to buy rapid tests instead of PCR tests, or perhaps not to buy those tests in a hurry?

“It just came to our attention then. The experts, as you say, have also appreciated it, we bought what we needed for the day. If we had to do it again, we would do the same,” said S. Skvernelis.

I wouldn’t want to go into more detail.

15 minutes Tomas Beržinskas, Advisor to the Prime Minister, also asked for details. Asked about the conclusions of the experts on the rapid tests of the Seimas court, S. Skvernelis said: “First of all, the Prime Minister had in mind the conclusions and proposals of the World Health Organization and its experts, which are they repeated in the public sphere at that time. Competent Lithuanian specialists have mentioned the need for testing and the need for testing as many times as possible, and I doubt that their names are well known. “

Thus 15 minutes He asked to share the memories with the medical experts themselves, who consulted the government in the spring.

A working group of government experts has been convened once the evidence has been acquired

It is true that Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis formally established a working group to consider and submit proposals for the management of COVID-19 (coronavirus infection), led by Jonas Kairis, the prime minister’s health adviser, who has now become in a special witness in the rapid test case, only on March 26. after the rapid tests have already been purchased.

After presenting this working group on March 27, the Prime Minister publicly asked him to make a recommendation on the effective use of rapid tests. Lithuania had already acquired half a million tests, but did not know what to do with them.

A final conclusion on rapid tests was published in late May.. And it showed that the tests are not adequate to diagnose the disease. They can only confirm that a person is infected with the virus.

When we learned that the government was planning to buy rapid tests, we immediately said that it was not appropriate, that it could be misleading.

The Minister of Health, Aurelijus Veryga, created a similar group of medical experts and presented it to the public on March 3. It was entrusted with the task of making proposals on the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of epidemics. But she found out how much 15 minutes, did not share any advice on buying quick tests.

The member of this group, Nerijus Mikelionis, director of the Kaunas City Ambulance Station, said that he did not remember who led this group or that he had considered the need to buy rapid tests. It was more important for the group to put together the hospital algorithms and ensure the establishment and operation of the coronavirus hotline.

“I can’t comment on these questions because I don’t really remember this. I participated in a lot of groups and there was a lot of work at that time, believe me. We had so much work that we didn’t know where to run or when to fall asleep,” Mikelionis said.

V. Kasiulevičius: fears that there will be no PCR tests

So which of the experts could have advised the government on the purchase of rapid tests and when?

The government decided to buy the tests immediately after the quarantine was announced in Lithuania. Professor Vytautas Kasiulevičius from the Vilnius University (VU) Medical Faculty was invited to the Government for consultations on that day.

According to him, the talks about purchasing rapid tests began when the LRT announced on March 15 that Lithuania has very few reagents needed for PCR tests, about 1.5 thousand. – and are unlikely to be acquired quickly.

“Then there was the provision that the possibility of those rapid tests is such that they could supplement the diagnosis if suddenly we did not have PCR tests. And whether we would have PCR testing was not completely clear. Rapid tests could have been such a partial way of diagnosing the disease a little later, but it is better to diagnose it than not to diagnose it, ”said V. Kasiulevičius.

So it was arranged that the possibility of such rapid tests is such that they could supplement the diagnosis if suddenly we did not have PCR tests. And it was not completely clear if we would have PCR tests.

It is true that he stated that the real situation was not known at all by the doctors consulted by the Government.

“We didn’t come for anything and we didn’t know how much Lithuania has. Besides the study published by the LRT, we didn’t know anything else. Such information was not disclosed to us, probably because we would not cause panic in society. You know, they will say that Kasiulevičius came and whispered everything. This protected us from that information. And the view that such rapid tests can be helpful in certain circumstances, I still think he was right. But how much did they need to buy, how to buy, they made the decisions. Perhaps there were some scientists who advised? I think there were those consultants, “said V. Kasiulevičius.

He admitted that he himself supported the position that rapid tests were better than none, although most doctors categorically told the government that it was better not to buy rapid tests at all because they would have to be discarded.

This position was recognized by Tum Beinort, a physician at Cambridge University Hospital who joined the group of doctors who volunteered to advise the government. According to him, the talks about the purchase of tests took place in mid-March.

“When we found out that the government was planning to buy rapid tests, we immediately said that it was not appropriate, that it could be misleading.” 15 minutes he said.

Speaking on the Seimas rostrum, S. Skvernelis also mentioned that the “expert conclusions” of Saulius Čaplinskas, the director of the Center for Communicable Diseases and AIDS seeking the term of a Seimas member with the Social Democrats, were very important. Maybe buy quick tests that the government advised you?

No, S. Čaplinskas says that he was never invited to the Government and expressed his opinion only in public.

“They did not invite me to any expert meeting, except at the beginning in Vilnius municipality. And in the Government, they dealt with their experts, but I always publicly expressed my expert opinion as a virologist, seeing what was happening,” explained S. Čaplinskas .

Reagents arrived faster than tests

The contract for the purchase of rapid tests was signed on March 19 and for the purchase of reagents on March 21 and 23.

It is true that the reagents arrived in Lithuania before rapid tests and coronavirus diagnostic tests were carried out without interruption.

The first 5 thousand. Lithuania received the reagents on March 22.

Prime Minister’s advisor Lukas Savickas enjoyed the package as a personal merit.

“It already happens that some jobs get very personal. I spent most of the weekend receiving orders for Lithuanian reagents and other essentials spread across different continents. I am deeply moved by the dedication of Lithuanians working in the aviation industry, who, despite their responsibilities and sparing no time, woke up their leaders, reviewed international logistics chains and found the closest point in Europe to deliver. a shipment to our army, ”he wrote on Facebook.

Ministry: Rapid tests for coronavirus infection

The first shipment of rapid tests with 2,500 units of the half million tests purchased It arrived in Lithuania on March 30, eleven days after the agreement was signed.

And a week after the World Health Organization circulated recommendations that the use of rapid tests to diagnose the disease is not recommended.

However, the Ministry of Health does not seem to have listened to these recommendations.

As soon as the first shipment of rapid tests was received, the head of state operations at the state level, the Minister of Health, Aurelijus Veryga, decided that the rapid tests would be carried out on returnees from abroad.

“600 rapid test units left today for Klaipeda, where those arriving by ferry will be tested,” the ministry announced in a press release on March 30.

A ministry report said that the following tests were designed to detect coronavirus infection: “The first batch of rapid tests for coronavirus infection (COVID-19) arrived at the National Public Health Laboratory (NSAID) yesterday.”

But the medical community moved immediately. Aurelija Žvirblienė, professor of immunology at the VU Life Sciences Center, warned that COVID-19 could not be diagnosed with these tests.

“In both cases, a molecular study must be performed. Therefore, infectious medicine doctors say that rapid tests are simply not applicable to the diagnosis of an acute disease,” and then spoke with 15 minutes stressed the scientist.

More than 360 passengers arriving in Klaipeda were screened by rapid tests, and the next morning the Ministry of Health ordered a return to the old order.

The tests then stayed in warehouses for a long time before it was decided to conduct a population study with them. The tests are now also being used to check whether teachers, government chancellery staff, and statutory officials have contracted the coronavirus.

Research – on both purchases

Ultimately, both government acquisitions received law enforcement attention. The Financial Crimes Investigation Service is conducting a pre-trial investigation on March 19. concluded an agreement with UAB Profarma for 6 million. purchase of rapid coronavirus tests worth EUR. In this case, the Vice Chancellor of the Government, Lukas Savickas, and the Advisor to the Prime Minister of Health, Jonas Kairys, were questioned as special witnesses.

The LRT Research Division previously announced that L. Savickas had given a direct order to begin purchasing rapid tests in March on the order of Prime Minister S. Skvernelis.

A test, with a total purchase of more than 500 thousand, SAM and NVSPL sifted about 12 euros, while the Ministry of National Defense (KAM) paid slightly more than 3 euros for the same tests, according to LRT.

The purchase of reagents is investigated by the Special Investigation Service (STT). The former president of the Cancer Patients Association (POLA) Šarūnas Narbutas is suspected of negotiating the impact of this investigation. Deny guilt.

Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga, Government Chancellor Algirdas Stončaitis, Vice Chancellor L. Savickas, Deputy Director of the National Public Health Laboratory (NVSPL) Henrikas Ulevičius, were interviewed as witnesses in this study.