RIGA, Dec 10 (LETA) - Specialized medical equipment purchased for the Covid-19 unit, which has been set up in the former infectious diseases wing of the Balvi hospital in eastern Latvia, has cost EUR 70,000, according to a statement released by the Balvi and Gulbene Hospital Association.

The hospital had reached the point where it had to take swift action and the decision to open a Covid-19 unit became reality, the hospital's administration said. "With Covid-19 incidence in Latvia growing by the day, the number of patients admitted to hospitals has been increasing as well," the hospital's representatives said, adding that the hospital therefore started planning and preparing for this emergency and the admission of Covid-19 patients.

At the same time, the hospital's administration noted that the Balvi hospital is in a somewhat privileged situation in comparison with some other regional hospitals because it has a separate building with 15 hospital beds for Covid-19 patients, which allow it to protect the rest of the hospital and its patients from the virus. 

The Balvi hospital's former infectious diseases wing, which will be admitting Covid-19 patients, is situated in a freshly renovated building. The renovation works have cost EUR 140,000. Additionally, EUR 70,000 have been spent on the medical equipment, which will allow giving the coronavirus patients oxygen and provide them with mechanical ventilation if needed. 

The government has decided to allocate around EUR 150,000 for setting up a Covid-19 unit with 15 hospital beds at the Balvi hospital.