RIGA, Dec 8 (LETA) - A high number of already hospitalized Covid-19 patients is already disrupting admission of new patients at six hospitals, which puts a great pressure on the Emergency Medical Service,  Liene Cipule, director of the Emergency Medical Service, told the Saeima Social and Labor Affairs Committee. 

Cipule said that the influx of Covid-19 patients in hospitals has been caused by a number of fresh Covid-19 outbreaks at care homes and psychiatric hospitals. 

"Unfortunately, in recent days there have been several outbreaks also in psychiatric hospitals, which can increase the number of patients in hospitals, and this is a problem associated with their basic diagnosis, the psychiatric illness," Cipule said. 

She also revealed that 15 percent of callouts the Emergency Medical Service received in the past 24 hours resulted in hospitalizations. We have already reached the fourth, the worst scenario, the head of the Emergency Medical Service said. 

The overall saturation of hospital beds has now reached 73 percent, but the extra beds have been provided by setting aside 100 additional beds for Covid-19 patients in the past week and the week before. 

In Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital and Riga Eastern Clinical University Hospital bed saturation has already exceeded 80 percent. 

Saturation of ICU beds has reached 85 percent in Riga Eastern Clinical University Hospital and 100 percent in Liepaja Hospital, Vidzeme Regional Hospital and Rezekne Hospital.

"Any new patient is practically at risk of not getting a bed," Cipule said.

The high number of Covid-19 patients in Northern Kurzeme Hospital is affecting the provision of emergency medical services.

As reported, 143 Covid-19 patients were hospitalized on Monday, while the total number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals has reached 709, according to the National Health Service data.

This is so far the biggest number of hospitalized Covid-19 patients a day and the largest number of patients in hospitals. Previously the biggest number of Covid-19 patients hospitalized in a day was 94 on November 26.

Of all the Covid-19 patients currently in hospitals, 667 have symptoms of medium severity and 42 are suffering severe symptoms.

In the past 24 hours, 75 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospitals, thus, the total number of discharged patients has reached 1,727.

Altogether 584 new Covid-19 cases were confirmed in Latvia in the past 24 hours, while 16 more coronavirus patients died, the Center for Disease Prevention and Control reported. This is the largest number of deaths with Covid-19 in a day. In total, Covid-19 has claimed 288 lives in Latvia.