RIGA, Mar 24 (LETA) - By April, Latvia's mass vaccination centers will be ready to start immunizing people against Covid-19, Health Minister Daniels Pavluts (For Development/For) said at a government meeting Wednesday. 

First-tier vaccination centers, which are being set up at the Kipsala exhibition center and ATTA conference center in Riga, will be ready for mass vaccination by March 31. According to the Health Ministry, the capacity of these centers will be 40,000 vaccinations per week. 

Second-tier vaccination centers in Daugavpils, Rezekne and Jelgava will also be ready by March 31, and Liepaja and Valmiera are scheduled to finish work on their vaccination centers by April 1, the ministry said. 

Meanwhile, a vaccination center in Jekabpils will be ready already by March 26, and the center in Jurmala by March 28. In Pavluts' words, the second-tier vaccination centers might ensure 40,500 vaccinations per week.

At the same time, work is ongoing on setting up third-tier vaccination centers, which will open in Latvia's small towns, and their individual capacity is planned at around 1,000 vaccinations per week, reaching a combined capacity of 30,000 vaccinations per week. 

Based on the Health Ministry's data on the availability of human resources, by April 1, Latvia's total vaccination capacity is expected to exceed 112,000 vaccinations per week. The vaccination centers will be working 16 hours a day, seven days a week.

Riga and Liepaja are planning to involve volunteers in the vaccination process.