Covid-19. May 14

During the last day, 1,125 new cases of infection were confirmed in the country – 11 fewer than the previous day.

12 residents lost the fight against the infection. The incidence rate per 100,000 inhabitants has continued to decline over the past fourteen days. It is now 576.3.

The percentage of positive Sars-COV2 tests over the course of the week remained the same. It is 5.8 per cent.

During the past day, over 18 thousand tests were performed for the presence of coronavirus.

The Minister of Education Jurgita Šiugždinienė appealed to municipalities to allow students in grades 5–11 to return to school for at least a few weeks.

The head of the ministry noted that only about 3,000 students of the indicated classes returned to full-time education this week.

In her opinion, this proves that most municipalities took the easy way, and the explanation that “it is not profitable anymore” is shocking and saddening.

After the government allowed the resumption of full-time education for students in grades 5-11 since Monday, most municipalities decided to remain in the distance learning mode until the end of the school year.

26 out of 43 local governments that participated in the survey of the Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania indicated that students would not return to school. 16 said that some of the students would come back.

This Saturday, May 15, in the Central Outpatient Clinic of the Vilnius Region, the Outpatient Clinic in Nemenčinė and in the outpatient clinics in Juodšiliai, Lavoriškės, Mariampolė, Nemėžis and Rudamina, previously registered 45-year-olds and older will be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Upon arrival for vaccination, it is imperative that you have an identity document and a face mask.

Lithuania will donate 200,000 doses of vaccines against Covid-19 Eastern Partnership countries. The government has decided that humanitarian aid is to be delivered by October 1.

For now, the government forecasts that at the beginning 100,000 doses will be allocated to Ukraine, 11 thousand for Moldova and 15 thousand for Georgia.

“We understand that these are not numbers that will save these countries (…), but it is not enough just to talk about solidarity, we should take the first step and show what solidarity is, that these are not only words but also actions,” said the Minister of Affairs foreign Gabrielius Landsbergis.

Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė indicated that “if everything goes according to plan”, by the end of the third quarter, Lithuania will receive so many doses that theoretically 3.5 million people can be vaccinated.

The head of the government pointed out that the vaccines will not be handed over immediately, but that “the third quarter is more realistic”.