RIGA, Mar 30 (LETA) - The large vaccination centers that are being set up for mass immunization against Covid-19 are not intended as a substitute for family physicians' practices and healthcare institutions, Eva Juhnevica, head of the Vaccination Bureau, said on Latvian Radio. 

She said that after three weeks of intensive work, institutions are ready to open the mass vaccination centers.

Juhnevica thanked the local authority of Ventspils city for proactive work in preparing one such mass vaccination center, which is opening on Tuesday as a pilot project. 

"Today, we will have the opportunity to test and see everything in Ventspils to make sure the vaccination process takes place successfully and smoothly. It will also be the opportunity to measure the time a person spends at the vaccination center," the head of the Vaccination Bureau said, describing the opening of the vaccination center in Ventspils as a pilot project and a lesson. 

She informed that the vaccination center in Ventspils has been supplied with  500 vaccine doses and that all vaccine appointments have already been scheduled.

If a larger batch of Covid-19 vaccine doses is delivered as scheduled on March 31, other mass vaccination centers might open in test mode as well, Juhnevica said. 

"The operation of these centers will be necessary at certain moments in April when there will be a larger quantity of vaccine doses. The vaccination centers will not be a substitute for the family physicians' practices or healthcare institutions. The large vaccination centers provide additional capacity for larger vaccine quantities," Juhnevica said.