V. Matijošaitis on the epidemiological (in) studies of COVID-19: now is not the time to give up



[ad_1]

After the National Public Health Center (NVSC) announced on Friday that epidemiological investigations of some COVID-19 cases were suspended, the Mayor of Kaunas, Visvaldas Matijošaitis, urged Lithuanian municipal leaders to shrug their shoulders and ensure a follow up without problems. A week ago, Kaunas was joined by NVSC specialists who lacked capacity, and soon other municipalities in the county joined.

“Today, everyone must understand the fatigue of the NVSC specialists. These people work in extremely difficult conditions, investigating an ever-increasing number of new cases on a daily basis. With their exponential growth, we cannot just look at it from the sidelines. needed here is not consolation but real help. Now is definitely not the time to drop your hands and panic. Each investigated case is an additional opportunity to reduce the spread of the virus and protect people, “said V. Matijošaitis.

If a municipality does not cope with the increase in numbers, “canceling” them would be the simplest solution, but not a good solution.

The mayor of Kaunas reacted to the information of the NVSC that appeared on Friday, according to which more than 700 cases of coronavirus infection are registered in the country every day, the specialists of the NVSC could not call a part of the people diagnosed with COVID -19. Also, there is no intention to explain the circumstances of your infection, epidemiological studies will not be conducted. Such extreme solutions have been achieved with the extremely rapid growth of NVSC’s workload. Around 800 people are estimated to have been left without contact this week and will no longer receive calls requesting information about self-isolation and other requirements and recommendations.

Addressing the heads of other municipalities in the country in public, the Mayor of Kaunas has no doubt that the spread of the COVID-19 infection can still be stopped through joint efforts. One of the most important factors, according to him, is the proper investigation of all identified cases: “If a municipality does not cope with the increase in numbers, it would be the simplest but not good way to write them down. The number of cases will continue to increase, so if we ignore them now, we will soon lose control completely. Not only the military, but also the municipalities themselves must help their regional NVSC units. “

A week ago, specialists from the Kaunas City Municipality Public Health Office took over the COVID-19 case study in the city from NVSC’s Kaunas Region specialists: 20 to 40 specialists delegates in public health from the city of Kaunas work every day. They successfully investigate all registered cases submitted to NVSC on the same day. If necessary, employees of the Kaunas city municipal administration are ready to help public health specialists.

During the last week, specialists from the health offices of all the other municipalities in the region joined the initiative of the city of Kaunas. They also assist regional NVSCs in diagnosing COVID-19 cases in the population.

Now is the time to think not only about the affairs of your city or district, but to look more broadly.

Photo by Vilmantas Raupelis

“It just came to our attention then. Not for nothing is it said that difficulties unite. By shrugging our shoulders, we can work together to ensure that a situation that has become critical at first glance remains manageable. For the moment, lose your control. it would be an unforgivable mistake, – V. Matijošaitis evaluated the joint work, urging all Lithuanian municipalities to follow the example of the Kaunas region. – If together we ensure the investigation of cases in the Kaunas region, together we can do it in the rest of Lithuania. 700 or 1,000 boxes a day, spread over 60 municipalities, certainly not an insurmountable task. Now is the time to think not only about the affairs of your city or district, but to look more broadly. I offer a connection and a joint effort to ensure that work that has been done for so long does not fail, and that all cases are investigated smoothly, without interruptions.

The mayor of Kaunas also asks not to reduce the workload of the mobile checkpoints. He criticizes the decision taken on Friday to prevent municipalities from identifying groups of people to prevent: “Each city or district has a different situation and it is better to see it closely by local professionals. Therefore, municipalities should be able to identify themselves additional population groups for which preventive examinations are most necessary at some point. “

More than a thousand tests are performed daily in Kaunas by the PCR method, taking swabs from the nasopharynx. If necessary, the mobile inspection point is ready to further expand your reach.

Residents from all over Lithuania register for investigation at the mobile checkpoints of the Korona Hotline in Kaunas in 1808. Their activities have been coordinated from the beginning by the staff of the Kaunas City Ambulance Station. Hundreds of Kaunas residents worked here on a voluntary basis, including shooters, special services officials, scouts, and representatives of other organizations and institutions.

As the second wave of coronavirus accelerates, voluntary help is again inevitable. The Kaunas City Municipality is also ready to provide reinforcement with the people. Solutions are currently being sought to ensure smooth registration at mobile points for as many Lithuanians as possible.



[ad_2]