RIGA, Feb 20 (LETA) - A map of family physician practices where persons can get vaccinated against Covid-19 is available on the web, the Vaccination Project Bureau said on Twitter.

The map shows 570 medical institutions, their addresses, opening hours and telephone numbers through which persons can apply for the vaccine.

Currently, most vaccination options are in Riga and large cities. But less - in the central part of the country, in the north-east of Vidzeme, as well as in Kurzeme.

The map can be found on the website - https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiNjAyZGY5ZmQtMGRhYi00NmQ2LTliMTUtM2VkMjMxNmZmYjE4IiwidCI6ImRiYzkwMTJkLTYyOGItNDNkNC1iMTkwLThhNzMwZjdlMWU5NiIsImMiOjl9.

As reported, considering that vaccines against Covid-19 will not reach family physicians until mid next week, most family physicians could start vaccination in their places of practice on Wednesday or Thursday of next week, Sarmite Veide, president of the Latvian Family Physicians' Association, told LETA.

Explaining the selection of family physicians, Veide noted that a survey was conducted to assess readiness, in which family physicians could assess vaccination based on their resources and workload. According to the Vaccination Project Office, 504 family physicians have applied for vaccination, while Veide explains that this number is constantly changing, as there are family physicians who have decided to vaccinate persons and there are those who have decided not to do so. According to her, this happened because in some cases the family physicians realized that they would not be able to meet the requirements for vaccination.

However, in general, Veide predicts that the total number of family physicians who will participated in the vaccination of residents will increase rather than decrease, because often colleagues, communicating with each other, gain confidence to begin to vaccinate. In the opinion of the president of the association, this confidence is further enhanced by the growing amount of available information about the vaccination process.

At present, family physicians have contracts with the National Health Service and have drawn up lists of patients to be vaccinated, leading to more accurate figures on the number of patients to be vaccinated in their practice.

Veide also revealed that the initial plan was to start vaccination by family physicians on March 1, but the Vaccination Project Bureau called for the vaccination to start on February 22. This was supported by family physicians. "If there are vaccines available, vaccination should start as soon as possible," Veide added.

LETA also reported, according to the Health Ministry's vaccination plan against Covid-19, 70 percent of the population should be vaccinated by the end of the summer.