RIGA, Feb 10 (LETA) - Approximately 70 percent of residents in nursing homes and 50 percent of nursing homes' employees are willing to vaccinate for Covid-19, Welfare Minister Raoman Petravica (For Humane Latvia, KPV LV) told Saeima Inquiry Committee on Tuesday.

The committee today reviewed several Harmony MPs' petition questioning the welfare minister's conduct in stemming the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in nursing homes.

The minister rejected the criticisms and said that the Welfare Ministry prepared the first guidelines already last February after the first Covid-19 cases were registered at nursing homes. The guidelines have since been updated, upgraded, and distributed among all nursing homes, including municipal and private ones.

As the Covid-19 cases began to rise again last fall, nursing homes were also affected, said Petravica. Nursing homes are in essence like large households - in case of a Covid-19 outbreak in a school, the school may be closed, while closing nursing homes is impossible, she explained.

Immunization is the only solution, said Petravica. At all nursing homes, a person has been appointed to oversee the vaccination process.

The minister reminded that vaccination against Covid-19 at nursing homes had got under way today and would continue tomorrow.

Battling Covid-19 at nursing homes is very difficult as there are no free rooms and there are very limited opportunities for designating isolation rooms, Petravica explained.