Skopje, 10 November 2021 (MIA) – The Commission for Infectious Diseases is set to hold a meeting on Friday, Minister of Health Venko Filipche told a press conference on Wednesday. The Commission will discuss the latest COVID-19 developments in North Macedonia. According to Filipche, there’s no need for new restrictions – abiding by protocols and boosting the vaccination rate is enough. The Minister said that general practitioners were instructed on Wednesday to urge all their patients to get vaccinated. “We keep in touch with the Commission, but the situation has been calm lately. A meeting will be held on Friday to discuss latest analyses. In regard to measures, we’ll discuss proposal and positions. I think that we should keep preventive measures in place and boost the vaccination rate,” Filipche told reporters. He reiterated that the key criterion for introducing new measures is pressure on hospital capacities, which so far hasn’t been detected. “Vaccination rate is crucial, along with abiding by preventive measures and protocols. These are our way out of the crisis,” the Minister noted. During the press conference, he said that the number of new COVID-19 cases has gone up 25%, adding that the transmission rate is also increasing, which indicates that the currently stable epidemiological situation will deteriorate. The number of hospitalized patients, the Minister added, is also up, but there’s still no significant pressure on hospitals. According to Filipche, the vaccination process has stagnated. He urged citizens to realize that vaccination is the only way out of the crisis. A total of 1.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in North Macedonia so far. The Minister underlined that citizens can get the flu shot and the COVID jab at the same time. He also called on them to abide by protocols, practice social distancing and wear masks. The holiday season is starting and any type of group gathering is a risk, Filipche said urging caution.