Record numbers of COVID-19 cases were reported for a second consecutive day in Lithuania, with 9,500 cases on January 26 and 10,630 on January 27. Of nine deaths, eight of the fatalities were either not vaccinated or only partially vaccinated. The number of patients in hospitals now stands at 1,172, including 93 ICU cases. The 14-day infection rate has risen further to 2,985.3 per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests up to 34.8 percent. Overall, about 639,500 people in Lithuania have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic and the death toll has almost reached 7,800.
According to Vilnius mayor Remigijus Šimašius, Lithuania should lift all pandemic restrictions, since the new Omicron variant is less dangerous for vaccinated people, while the unvaccinated “made their choice”. Even though Lithuania is reporting high numbers of new daily infections, restrictions on businesses and public life do not make sense anymore, said Šimašius. Several Lithuanian towns have recently announced municipal-level restrictions on public events, but Vilnius is not planning to follow suit, the mayor confirmed. “If the government decides to introduce quarantine, we will oblige, even though we would not agree with such a step”, Šimašius noted. He also ruled out the possibility of schools switching to online teaching.
Šimašius also said that the government should encourage self-testing for people who suspect they have been exposed to COVID-19 and called on employers to provide free tests to their workers.
Earlier, President Gitanas Nausėda said that Lithuania should give up immunity certificates which, according to him, no longer serve their purpose. Both the vaccinated and the unvaccinated are vulnerable to the Omicron variant, he noted. LRT.lt
