State-paid Covid-19 tests can be performed only with a doctor’s prescription – in Latvia

In the future, state-paid Covid-19 tests will be able to be performed only with a doctor’s prescription, Anna Strapcāne, a representative of the Ministry of Health (MoD), informed LETA.

The new procedure will take effect on Monday, October 26, but as of today at 1 pm, the possibility to volunteer for Covid-19 tests has been canceled, because “the number of asymptomatic people who want to be tested puts a burden on testing capacity”.

The Ministry of Health explains that the Ministry’s goal is to make Covid-19 testing more targeted and available to people who need it most, such as people with symptoms, as soon as possible.

The ministry’s observations show that there is currently an unreasonable stir and that people are increasingly applying for Covid-19 tests, thus placing an inadequate burden on testing capacity, which cannot fulfill its primary goal of testing people with symptoms in time to reduce further uncontrolled spread of the virus in society. .

This artificially prolongs the queue and makes it difficult for people with symptoms to be tested for testing, according to VM. Therefore, a decision has been made to suspend voluntary enrollment in Covid-19 tests from today.

Specialists emphasize and remind that if a person has symptoms of the disease, he should stay home immediately and then contact a family doctor, who will assess the need for a Covid-19 test.

The Ministry points out that the amount of testing currently performed in Latvia is optimal and, compared to other countries, such as Germany, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, is even higher. According to the data of the Ministry on the volume of testing in the week from October 5 to 11, 1421.8 per 100,000 inhabitants were performed in Latvia, while in Germany – 1320, in Lithuania – 1367, in Estonia – 1076, and in Finland – 1382.

The aim of the Ministry is to maintain this level of testing as much as possible, while ensuring that the primary state-funded tests are for the people who need it most. The procedure that you can apply for state-paid tests with a doctor’s referral also works in Estonia from the beginning of October.

The new procedure stipulates that if a person is suspected of having Covid-19, they will first need to contact a GP practice. If the healthcare professional, after hearing the patient about their symptoms, decides that a test is needed, an e-mail will be issued.

Then, when the person calls 8303, he or she will be queued for the test as soon as possible. Given that long queues are already in place, solutions are being sought with laboratories to enroll people with a doctor’s referral as a matter of priority.

At the same time, people who have so far signed up for Covid-19 tests themselves and are waiting in line will be tested as before and not have to worry about receiving a state-paid test.

As before, Covid-19 tests can be referred to your doctor, for example, if you need a test before surgery. Extensive testing will continue in hospitals with suspected Covid-19 – symptoms or epidemiological risks.

When the new system starts working, the VM promises to analyze the system with GPs to understand how effectively it is working and whether improvements are needed. A decision on what to do next will then be made.

“At the same time, we anticipate that the number of Covid-19 tests performed may decrease on certain days, as well as the number of positive tests may increase, as more precise target groups will be tested,” added Strapcāne. She explained that the aim was not to artificially reduce the amount of testing, but to ensure that people who justifiably needed the test could receive it as soon as possible.

If a person does not have symptoms of the disease and other good reason to perform the test, he will be able to apply for the test individually, waiting in line for a longer time and covering the costs of the test himself. This means that the state will not pay for the tests for people who, for example, would like to take the test to travel to Estonia.

Extensive state-funded saliva screening will also continue to be provided. This testing will be organized by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control in specific municipalities, businesses, educational and treatment facilities, social care centers and other places where the spread of Covid-19 is suspected. Epidemiologists will also be able to prescribe routine testing to larger groups of people to avoid burdening GPs. The full testing algorithm is available on the SPKC website. As a result, the state will provide extensive, timely and targeted testing.

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