RIGA, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Latvian health ministry has ordered expert workgroups to urgently prepare proposals for tackling a fresh upsurge in COVID-19 cases, the State Chancellery informed on Friday.

Health Minister Daniels Pavluts said that new measures are urgently needed because the current trend is unmistakable -- the spread of the virus is accelerating. The minister also ruled out any relaxation of COVID-19 rules and restrictions in the near future.

The government is expected to decide on the new restrictions at the beginning of next week.

The Latvian Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) said that the spread of COVID-19 has been growing steadily lately. During the last seven days, the number of COVID-19 patients in Latvia's hospitals averaged at 656 and the number of ICU cases rose by 2.4 percent, the CDC said.

COVID-19 cases have continued to climb across all age groups, except seniors over 70 years of age, which the CDC attributes to more extensive vaccination in this age group.

The coronavirus strain first spotted in the UK was found in 91 percent of all virus samples sequenced last week. Enditem

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