‘The second coronavirus wave has started in some Lithuanian regions: Raseiniai, Radviliškis, Šiauliai. In Raseiniai, for example, only one case was registered in July and none in August. And now they have to announce a lockdown. So it was calm for some time and then the situation has changed. This is an obvious sign of the second wave, as there was no connection to the first wave in these areas.
On the other hand, in major cities the second wave came as a continuation of the first wave,‘ underlined the epidemiologist.
The Minister of the Interior Rita Tamašunienė emphasized that effective co-operation of services was ensured in the municipalities affected by the coronavirus infection to fight against the second wave.
Services cooperate closely in the most affected municipalities. At the moment, it is particularly important to comply with the requirements, as well as to ensure the safety of all people. The police is monitoring the situation and although, for example, there have been a number of illnesses at the Raseiniai Police Commissariat, the officers are currently returning to work,‘ claimed Tamašunienė.
Infection spreading in leisure areas
Although there is no strict definition of the concept, epidemiologists describe the wave as a growing number of sick people, a clearly visible peak, and then a low tide. The epidemic curve helps to identify the wave of infection - epidemiologists also monitor the progression of the disease over time.
‘It is important to analyse the morbidity and evaluate it according to where people got infected, which population groups were affected by the infection, or whether the cases were interrelated. Both asymptomatic virus carriers and the quality and effectiveness of the implementation of measures for the prevention and control of communicable diseases are important for wave surveillance, ‘ explained Lingienė.
The health system was not ready for the first wave, as no generation of hospitals has encountered a coronavirus infection yet. Also, we didn’t have testing strategies, we didn’t know how to treat the infection. Now, according to the epidemiologist, the situation is different.
‘We have learned that in some cases antiviral medicine or steroids are effective. We have also realized that oxygen therapy is necessary in many cases. At the beginning of the first wave, there were problems with tests, with laboratories - everyone rushed to buy tests and start testing symptomatic cases firstly. Then, testing strategies were developed. We have now realized that they need to be changed and they are being changed. Now we are also testing people to prevent the virus from spreading where the situation is tough,‘ said the specialist.
When asked about the signs of the second wave, the NPHC representative emphasized that its main feature is that it is most commonly found in young people. According to her, summer was not the right time for the virus to spread, as people spent a lot of time outdoors or in large spaces.
‘And now we are back at our offices, at schools. We spend time indoors, there is less space for more people. And we are socially very active. Especially in Vilnius the virus is caught at leisure activities - various dance lessons, contact sports trainings, choir rehearsals. Another thing - we see what kind of parties are going on in the city. I call them corona parties, because, for example, in Vilnius, after a couple of parties in the bar ‘Bardakas’, five cases of infection were detected,‘ claimed NPHC representative.
In response to the deteriorating situation and the increased number of infections, Radviliškis District Municipality introduced the strictest restrictions. One of the most effective is a ban on organizing events.
‘We had a big outbreak that really scared us, but it’s been a week since the situation has improved. There are already plenty of people recovering and returning to work. The situation is getting normal,‘ said Mayor of the Radviliškis District, Antanas Čepononis.
The municipality does not plan to lift the ban on events, as this is not the most important area according to the mayor, but he will propose that students return to schools.
‘A brand new plan for returning to schools has been developed. We will propose to apply a rotation system in large schools so that half of the students come in one week while others work remotely, and other students come to schools in the following weeks. If someone gets infected, we aim to keep the flows separate, not entire schools would have to close. In small schools, children will learn normally, with a strict separation of flows,‘ underlined the mayor.
Ready for the worst epidemiological situation
In order to manage the risk of the spread of coronavirus and to properly prepare for another possible outbreak in the future, a COVID-19 management strategy and a plan of measures for its implementation were prepared and approved by the Government in June 2020.
According to Marius Čiurlionis, an adviser to the Ministry of Health (SAM), Lithuania is well prepared for the situation, COVID-19 hospital bed occupancy rates are being monitored. ‘According to the available data, the number of beds is sufficient, even if the epidemiological situation continues to deteriorate,‘ said Čiurlionis.
As an important link in the fight against coronavirus, the SAM advisor singles out medical practitioners. According to him, doctors, already faced the first wave of coronavirus, know how to fight the infection, and hospitals adhere to strict safety requirements to ensure safe and quality services and maintain a safe working environment.
‚After evaluating the lessons of the first coronavirus wave, the medical emergency reserve of the Health Emergency Situation Centre (HESC) is also constantly being accumulated, ‘ he said.
M. Čiurlionis would not like to predict the future of the epidemiological situation, because, according to him, the situation in the country is changing very quickly. However, the interviewee noted that the situation depends on the citizens, so it is important to protect both yourself and others.
‘People need to realize that our lives will never be the same as before COVID-19. We are starting the so-called new life, when part of the health care system is in constant readiness to accept people infected with this infection. We will have to live like this at least until the vaccination is ready, ‘ said the SAM advisor.
M. Čiurlionis emphasized that the misinformation can greatly affect the society too. Therefore, it is necessary to think critically and logically.
‘If people have any doubts about publicly available information, we recommend to check it in well-known sources published by state institutions or reliable international organizations, look for explanations from specialists and experts in the field, and never click on suspicious links, ‘ he said.
Successful teleworking
Commenting on the current situation, Ramūnas Matonis, a representative of the Police Department, noted that the requirements are more lenient now, the control is not as strict as it was during the quarantine. However, he said that control is still being maintained because the police monitor people’s compliance with self-isolation requirements.
‘We have recorded some violations of self-isolation, but these are not that common now. It is important to mention that we have tested a lot of virtual services during the quarantine, such as virtual citizen service, and we would like to apply it in the future too. We have also created a remote centre. It will be larger, and we will be able to receive messages remotely thanks to it. At present, meetings and conferences are organized remotely more often than before,’ said R. Matonis.
A representative of the police department emphasized that the situation is different now: security measures have been taken care of, regulations are clearer and telework is going smoothly.
‘It is much easier now, we have learned a lot. We have enough security means, clearer regulation, legal issues, officials are already familiar with the situation. They are also used to teleworking and certain changes in the service, ‘ pointed out Matonis.
Information of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania
