RIGA, Nov 16 (LETA) - The number of Covid-19 beds in hospitals right now is sufficient, said Health Minister Daniels Pavluts (For Development/For) at the government meeting today.

He said that as the number of new Covid-19 infections is declining, the situation in hospitals is also changing. There have been reports that The Hospital of Traumatology and Orthopaedics nd Riga Hospital No.2 have resumed their traditional profiles, also some regional hospital will stop admitting Covid-19 patients. According to Pavluts, step by step hospitals are going towards stabilization and normalization.

"We have more than sufficient number of Covid-19 beds, the occupancy of intensive care beds and ordinary beds is around 60 percent," the minister said, adding that there are 2,214 Covid-19 beds available.

Pavluts said that there is no reason to increase the number of Covid-19 beds right now. "We  are ready to do it if necessary, but we hope we will not have to do it. The lockdown has helped to stabilize the situation," he said.

The Health Ministry reported that the number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals is below 1,300.

As reported, the occupancy of intensive care beds designated for severe Covid-19 patients still remains high in some hospitals, according to the Health Ministry's information presented at a government meeting Tuesday.

At the beginning of this week, 60 percent of all Covid-19 beds at Latvia's hospitals were taken, and the occupancy of beds in intensive care units (ICU) was 61 percent.

At the same time, some hospitals reported a 100 percent occupancy of ICU beds designated for Covid-19 patients. On Monday, all ICU beds for Covid-19 patients were occupied at the local hospitals in Balvi and Tukums.

The occupancy of ICU beds for Covid-19 patients exceeded 80 percent at hospitals in Jekabpils and Liepaja, as well as Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital.

The occupancy of beds designated for Covid-19 patients with moderate symptoms was also high at Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital, Jurmala Hospital, Strenci Psychoneurological Hospital, the Talsi branch of Ziemelkurzeme Hospital and elsewhere.

Across Latvia's regions, the occupancy of Covid-19 beds in Latvia's hospitals has evened out, reaching 63 percent in the planning regions of Riga, Zemgale and Latgale, 53 percent in Vidzeme and 46 percent in Kurzeme.

The Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) reported Monday that the number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals decreased by 7.9 percent in the past 12 days, with admissions averaging at 119 patients per day.

Meanwhile, the number of severe Covid-19 patients grew by 6.6 percent to 16.3 percent.