Rolanda Lingienė: The temporary COVID-19 call center is created with the help of companies, it is essential

Currently, 13 partners have already joined the “Let’s Overcome Together” initiative, which not only provides financial support, but also provides the center with the necessary resources. While currently available resources should allow the temporary COVID-19 call center to operate for one month, other companies are invited to join. It is hoped that by attracting even more companies, it will be possible to broaden the scope of aid and carry out one’s own initiative as necessary.

You can see the presentation of this initiative here:

“A person infected with Covid-19 has an average of 10 to 20 high-risk contacts. This means that if a thousand new cases of the disease are registered every day, our employees must identify and report around 10-20 thousand cases. exposed persons. If these people are not tracked and reported in a timely manner and do not isolate themselves, they can continue to spread the infection in society and further exacerbate the epidemiological situation. Unfortunately, the 50 epidemiologists currently working at the center and the 50 volunteers from the Lithuanian Armed Forces are not enough to carry out all the research on time. The additional capabilities are critical, ”says Rolanda Lingienė, department manager at NVSC Vilnius.

Without long deliberations

R. Lingienė affirmed that the public’s concern about the unfavorable epidemiological situation is understandable, but the new records of infections from public health specialists are not surprising, seeing how communication does not stop, how the social bubble is not observed, what kind of people are mobile. All of this is a huge burden on epidemiologists, as since late October the NVSC can no longer track all cases, much less the management of outbreaks.

A person can make an epidemiological diagnosis on an average of four patients. So if there are a thousand cases, we see how many specialists are needed.

And without this process, it is not possible to advance in the liberation of hospitals and reduce the morbidity of health workers.

“Currently, the situation has improved, because the NVSC is assisted by a hundred soldiers from the Lithuanian Armed Forces. However, I would like to say that, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control and our experience , one person can examine and make an epidemiological diagnosis to an average of four people. So if there are a thousand cases, although now there are more, we see how many specialists are needed.

In Lithuania, we do not always follow Western standards and investigate up to six cases, but this does not change the substance of the matter. Therefore, the assistance of various organized groups of people is critical to the NVSC. Why organize? Because we have a lot of people contacting us personally, but individual volunteers do their work, they study, they have other responsibilities, and when there are so many cases, it is completely impossible to ensure a continuous process, to train them, not to have logistical problems. Thus, good people appeared, who saw that cry for help, understood the situation in Lithuania ”, R. Lingienė spoke about the new initiative.

Žygimantas Gedvila / 15min photo / Kariškės tents near the NVSC building

According to her, with the help of the developers of this initiative, it will be possible to achieve good results. “This initiative was born in a very simple way, there was no need to sit at tables, sit for a long time, everything was done very quickly. Since yesterday, a new call center has been in operation, with personnel for interviews and epidemiological diagnosis of cases, which is a fundamental part of the infection management process.

Until the vaccine is available, the key is to identify COVID-19 cases, identify those who have been exposed, and isolate them. These people call the infected people and find out all the exposed people where they may have been infected, then call the exposed people, assess the risk of exposure, identify the high risk people and pass them on to the NVSC information team ” said the NVSC representative.

About 4 thousand people are required to isolate during the day. people, but 10 to 20 thousand people could have been in contact. people. Especially there are many people who have been in contact in the big cities, Vilnius says, which probably shows that people are not reducing their mobility.

According to R. Lingienė, the epidemiological diagnosis of cases in Vilnius is being carried out on time, on Thursday evening there should be no unexplored cases if all contacts are indicated. He said that he could not say exactly what it is like in other districts of Lithuania.

700 chimneys

R.Lingienė affirmed that it is necessary to free epidemiologists from epidemiological case diagnosis work so that they can study outbreaks, because now the most important thing is to focus on treatment and social care institutions, since their malfunction can have an impact significant in the Lithuanian population, not to mention. live the most vulnerable people. There are currently around 700 outbreaks in Lithuania.

Fireplaces, outbreaks, hospitals should be visited by specialists who can test the hypothesis of what may have happened, why the spread does not stop, whether the disease is brought from home or the control principles are not followed . “We need to find that key so that the infection does not spread further in this facility,” said an NVSC spokeswoman.

My colleague practically lived in the Antaviliai pension for almost a month, he just didn’t stay overnight, he went every day. He searched the neck of that bottle for an unstoppable infection.

She mentioned the Vilnius City Clinical Hospital, the specialists practically lived in the Antaviliai pension: “My colleague practically lived in the Antaviliai pension for almost a month, he just didn’t stay overnight, but went every day. He searched the neck of that bottle for an unstoppable infection. And it must be said, but outbreaks do not occur again in these institutions. “

“This call center is located in the hotel’s conference center, complying with all security requirements, because teleworking is unfortunately not possible. On the part of NVSC, we train all the selected people, we provide them with theoretical and practical training, we make simulation calls and we decide that these people can do their job, ”said R. Lienienė, inviting everyone to support this initiative.

A total of about 100 soldiers are currently conducting epidemiological investigations, and the new center employs 10 volunteers and about 70 NVSC specialists.

Works 10, preparing for the same amount

Laimonas Baliukonis, the initiator of the initiative and head of strategy at the marketing agency MP agency, said that the idea was born very simply: watching the news where R.Lingienė asked for help, because there was a critical shortage of people, it is impossible to trace the people in contact.

“We couldn’t stay away, especially when the company has both the skills and the resources to help. So we turned to the NVSC and offered our help. We have already mobilized 13 Lithuanian companies supporting the “Let’s overcome together” initiative with additional funds and resources. The first ten well-trained employees started work yesterday. We are currently carrying out both the selection and the training of people. “Another 10 employees will start work on Monday,” he said.

This initiative is in charge of everything related to the project, both positions and selection of personnel, work tools. The center will operate without holidays, the staff will change on a continuous schedule. Up to a hundred jobs could be installed, but funds are lacking. Therefore, L. Balukonis appealed to those who can and want to contribute.

The volunteers were employees of the MP agency, they are paid a minimum wage and also receive food and water during the day. He works from the hotel manager to the people currently not working due to downtime.

One of those jobs costs around 950 euros a month, said L. Balukonis.

Seimas elected member Jurgita Sejonienė noted that private initiatives were needed as early as spring and that the first wave would not have been managed as well if those initiatives and volunteers had not appeared.

“It just came to our attention then. There can be nothing better when people sacrifice their time, invest their finances to help us manage the situation and come out of it as winners. I am very happy with this initiative, I congratulate those who are determined. to organize it, especially to the volunteers who are sacrificing their time, their free time, their families to help manage the situation. You are an example of citizenship and sensitivity, “said J.Sėjonienė.