“Omicron is everywhere now,” he told viewers on Thursday evening during a Q&A session on the social network. He also warned of further spikes in infections which he expected to occur imminently. However, he predicted the situation could improve by March or April.
The pressure on PCR test services is enormous at present, with around 2,000 new cases identified daily. Wait times and queues at the laboratories are higher than ever before. Dr Schmit said the Ministry of Health would recommend rapid tests in future for vaccinated people who had come into contact with a positive case, to ease the pressure and reserve PCR tests for more urgent cases.
The Ministry is also collaborating with the labs to find additional staff to help with taking samples.
Starting on Monday, the Ministry of Health telephone hotline will be staffed by 50 additional employees, as the helpline switchboard currently lacks the capacity to take all calls.
