Second wave: Veryga names coronavirus symptoms that experts draw attention to first

The second wave has started, but the situation is still under control.

Epidemiologist Rolanda Lingienė spoke about the second wave of coronavirus in Lithuania on Thursday. The minister said that this is how the situation can be assessed.

“It just came to our knowledge then. If not at the national level, then in what regions and cities is it really like that. We had places where there wasn’t a single case for a while. Now we have some outbreaks there. In the country as a whole, no we had only one day in the summer to have a single case, there was no absolute heat and there was no breaking of waves. But I think we can really say that we have a second wave, “said the minister in the program.

A. Veryga assured in the program that the situation in the country is still under control.

“So far yes, although we have many cases, the absolute majority are known, it is about large chimneys. It’s a shame, but it also affects the medical institution and not one, it is worrying, but we also monitor another indicator: we monitor how many infected people need medical help, how many need complex help: artificial lung ventilation, oxygen therapy. These are the numbers that are still relatively small. As a result, we say that the situation is more or less under control ”, said Minister A. Veryga, who evaluated the current situation in the country.

The head of the Ministry of Health recalled that in the spring, given the first wave of coronavirus, he was more concerned about overcrowded medical facilities.

“As a result, very strict measures have been taken,” the minister said.

He said the highest possible restrictions would depend on the situation at the country’s treatment facilities.

“Of course, there is still a certain threat, no matter how safe medical institutions are, some people can get there, be asymptomatic, feel nothing. The staff themselves can become infected even outside the hospital. Of course, patients will often be evaluated, procedures will change, everyone will be evaluated in the hospital. Try to be careful with that scenario and many things are already a benefit: the same infection control. But everything passes, and if we see that the situation is changing drastically, there are more people who need help. Then more of these measures can appear, “said the minister.

No movement restrictions needed yet

Currently, the situation is extremely bad in Raseiniai, Radviliškis and Šiauliai. There are even several registered outbreaks there, the districts have already made strict decisions, so according to A. Veryga, there is still no need to think about local quarantine.

“Depending on what we call territorial quarantine, because after the quarantine is announced, certain conditions are still set. I can only remind you that there were very few control measures left in the country at the end of the quarantine. What cities are doing now is they basically repeat certain quarantine scenarios, but they don’t call it quarantine. For example, prohibit events, make decisions about distance learning. So they accept these measures even without local quarantine, ”he explained.

Veryga said that until now there was no need to restrict movement in certain areas. She recalled the case of Kaunas, when urgent measures paid off.

“Not yet, I can only remind you that we had such difficult situations in Kaunas itself before. We probably remembered a case from a logistics company, but the city recovered, that number of cases there fell more or less there. So, with the application from the measures the situation can be controlled less and less, but everything will depend on how society itself will react to the measures and to what extent it will be responsible, ”explained the politician.

He also discussed what steps would be taken if the situation couldn’t be handled anyway.

“Then there may already be decisions that will be related to decisions at the national level – about events, night work in public catering establishments. (…) Although today we do not see such a unique area that we can point out as the only and especially dangerous one. We currently have outbreaks in hospitals, educational institutions, sports clubs, choirs. But there is no place where special measures should be taken. These are non-specific measures, already entered, that is, wear masks, maintain distances, recommendations for teleworking are provided. Hopefully that’s enough, “said A. Veryga.

The minister said he understood that people are very relaxed. The interlocutor of the program “Delfi diena” stated that the relaxation and fatigue due to the restrictions are also felt in other countries, not only in Lithuania.

“It just came to our knowledge then. The implementation of any measure introduced does not depend on the imposition of fines, not on the police, but on society itself. This is not just a Lithuanian phenomenon, yesterday I just spoke by phone with the Minister Estonian Health, there is the same mood.

Some people feel that the measures are too strict, others that they are too lenient. And there are very few of those in the middle who would say that the tools are good. One part of society is overwhelmed and the other believes in conspiracy theories. It is not very easy to find half the gold ”, assured the minister.

Promise to do everything possible to avoid mass quarantine

Veryga said that the whole world now knows much more about the virus, so there is no need for such strict measures at this time as they did in the spring.

“I think that now the situation is different from that of the first wave, we probably all remember the empty streets, the fears. Naturally, since we didn’t know much, now we have more, fatigue and adjustment occurs. (…) We really believe and trust in the measures that took place during the first quarantine, but at the same time we can see the changing reactions of society, changes in behavior and it must be evaluated when adopting the measures ”, said the Minister.

Veryga said that different cities were responding to the situation.

When asked to make sure there would be no second national quarantine, Veryga said it wasn’t just up to him. But he promised as many local solutions as possible.

“It is not up to me, that decision can be made by the Government, I am only one of the ministers. I really cannot predict the future, I do not know what these scenarios will be like not only in Lithuania, but also in the world. I can assure you that we will do everything possible to ensure that the decisions are more precise and local, so that there is no need for a massive national quarantine, ”said the minister on Delfi’s day.

You can decide again the opening hours of bars and clubs.

When the epidemiological situation began to deteriorate in late summer, A. Veryga proposed to limit the hours of work of entertainment venues. However, the government rejected the offer after hearing from business representatives.

Veryga said the clubs, which continue to operate freely, are currently not a place where the virus is actively spreading.

“That was the government’s decision, our proposal was limited in time and the companies explained that they could implement the measures. Of course, today we don’t see the virus spreading there, we don’t have that data. (…) In my personal opinion, it would be stricter to look there, ”the Minister recalled about his position and proposals.

He said that if the situation in the country continues to deteriorate, the decision could be reviewed.

Is rhinitis no longer a symptom?

This week, SAM removed a runny nose from the list of coronavirus-specific symptoms. Previously, students could not enter educational institutions with a runny nose. The Minister interprets this decision as determined by current circumstances.

“It just came to our knowledge then. And there is a runny nose as a symptom, that I know of, that you no longer notice. What’s more, let’s understand what time of year it is now: it’s colder in the morning, a child outside may grab that nose, and in this way we can create such circumstances that many children will not be able to enter educational institutions. Well, it is not enough for a child to run his nose. There are other means, temperature measurement or similar, “recalled the interlocutor.

Feeling only one of the possible symptoms, A. Veryga urged to control his health.

“There are symptoms that specialists draw attention to: fever, accompanied by a sore throat, shortness of breath, unexplained fatigue. What should definitely be done if they occur, perhaps it would be good to refrain from going to work without knowing if new ones will occur symptoms. That needs to be addressed, “he said.

“But there are cases where there are no symptoms. Absolutely 100 percent calm cannot be. And I would not dare to argue much about whether or not you can be calm with a runny nose. As far as my knowledge suggests, this is not considered. a specific symptom if it is just a runny nose, “said the interlocutor to Delfi Day.

“We cannot put the whole of society to the test”

Minister A. Veryga also discussed alarming cases on the show. He assured that the measures now in force are sufficient to protect against them as well.

“It’s a big challenge, it can infect others, spread the disease. Clearly, those who have symptoms mean that they spread the disease much more intensely and the risk of getting infected is significantly higher. Well, you will not do anything, we cannot evaluate the whole society every few days, we will not change so much here. The world does not know the recipe for how to deal with asymptomatic patients. That is why we say that nonspecific measures are needed: masks, distances. And it protects against asymptomatic cases. And in the future there is no other solution than a vaccine, ”the minister recalled.

Some countries are changing testing strategies to detect asymptomatic cases as well. A. Veryga assured that Lithuania is also very active in testing for coronavirus.