RIGA, Feb 26 (LETA) - Currently, due to the lack of vaccines against Covid-19, family physicians can only offer to sign-up for vaccination persons wishing to get vaccinated after several weeks, Sarmite Veide, President of the Latvian Association of Family Physicians, told LETA.

On Thursday, seniors over the age of 70 who had applied for vaccination against Covid-19 via manavakcina.lv or by phone 8989 received text messages inviting them to contact their family physicians about a specific vaccination time.

However, according to Veide, fewer vaccines have been delivered to family physicians than can be vaccinated, namely 20 doses instead of 40 doses and 30 doses instead of 50 doses, etc. As a result, family physicians are often unable to offer a specific appointment in the coming days.

Uncertainty has also arisen in patients due to the merging of the lists of persons to be vaccinated, as family doctors have their own lists, but at the same time there is a list of persons in the relevant priority group who have applied for the vaccine through manavakcina.lv or 8989. "In these circumstances, both patients and family physicians have to adapt," she added.

She also notes that in the interests of more efficient use of vaccines and the organization of sign-up lists, family physicians can inform patients about the possibility of vaccinating more quickly if someone "drops out'' of a list, thus ensuring that all doses are used effectively.