RIGA, Nov 2 (LETA) - Occupancy of Covid-19 beds in Latgale's hospitals has reached 90 percent, according to the Health Ministry's information prepared for a government meeting. 

The lowest occupancy of Covid-19 beds - 58 percent - has been reported in hospitals in Latvia's northeastern province Vidzeme. In the central Latvian province of Zemgale, Covid-19 patients have filled 73 percent of the hospital beds designated for them. 

In other regions of Latvia, the occupancy of Covid-19 beds exceeds 75 percent. In the western province of Kurzeme the occupancy of Covid-19 beds is 76 percent, in Riga Region 78 percent and in the eastern province of Latgale only 10 percent of all reprofiled hospital beds are still unoccupied. 

Meanwhile, several hospitals have reported  a 100 percent occupancy of Covid-19 beds designated for severe patients. All Covid-19 ICU beds are already taken in hospitals in Ventspils, Jekabpils and Balvi, as well as the Hospital of Traumatology and Orthopedics in Riga. 

During last week, the number of Covid-19 beds in hospitals was increased by 21 percent - from 1,617 to 1,963 beds, with hospitals in Dobele and Aluksne also deploying beds for Covid-19 patients. 

As reported, Uga Dumpis, an infectious disease specialist at Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital and University of Latvia professor, said in an interview to Latvian Radio on Tuesday that the easing of Covid-19 restrictions will have especially serious consequences in Latgale, the province showing the lowest vaccination rate in Latvia,

In accordance with the original decision, Latvia will remain under strict lockdown by mid-November, and Dumpis warns against lifting the restrictions too quickly. "I am not saying that the restrictions must not be lifted at all, but it is necessary to look which restrictions could and which could not be lifted."

In the interview, Dumpis turned special attention to Latvia's eastern province of Latgale where vaccine uptake remains critically low. "I am afraid even to think of what might happen in Latgale if the restrictions were lifted," the expert said, calling for greater support to Latgale's local hospitals.

"I think that Covid-19 incidence in Latgale is higher than in Riga per number of population. And let me remind you that vaccine uptake in Latgale's senior population is three times lower than in other regions," the infectious disease specialist said.