Slovenia Marks One Year Since Start of Epidemic

By , 12 Mar 2021, 12:12 PM Lifestyle
Slovenia Marks One Year Since Start of Epidemic covid-19.sledilnik.org

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STA, 12 March 2021 - Exactly a year ago, a coronavirus epidemic was declared in Slovenia after the number of infections jumped to almost a hundred only a week after the first infection. Slovenia was in the epidemic for more than 60% of the last year.

The epidemic was declared by the then Health Minister Aleš Šabeder, who left the ministry the next day.

On the same day Slovenia closed its border with Italy, where the Covid-19 situation was the worst at the time.

The outgoing government also decided that schools on all levels close the next week and that only emergency cases be processed in healthcare.

Not long after that, the country went into a full lockdown to prevent further spreading of the virus, and people's lives changed drastically.

With strict measures and fear over a new, unknown virus, Slovenia was relatively successful in overcoming the first wave of the epidemic, which lasted 80 days, until 31 May.

In the autumn, however, the situation deteriorated again, and the epidemic was declared again on 19 October. Initially for 30 days but then this was extended multiple times to last until this very day.

In line with the latest government decision, adopted at Wednesday's session, the epidemic was extended for another 30 days, meaning until 18 March.

During last autumn and winter, children were mostly learning from home. Primary schools were closed for more than three months and secondary school students returned to their classrooms only recently.

Shops selling non-essential products were also closed for months and only the main services were available. Bars and restaurants are still closed, except for outdoor tables in two regions.

Slovenia has so far recorded almost 200,000 infections and 4,192 deaths due to Covid-19.

Experts are placing all hopes in the vaccines, striving for at least 60% vaccination rate in the population.

The first effective coronavirus vaccine was registered less than a year since the outbreak of the virus and so far four vaccines have been registered in the EU, the last one getting the green light this Wednesday.

However, despite enormous investments in the development of the vaccines, pharmaceutical companies have been unable to deliver enough vaccine for all citizens, so the vaccination strategy gives priority to the elderly, who are the most vulnerable group.

In Slovenia residents and staff of care homes, which have turned out to be the main hotspots of the disease, have already received the vaccine and people over 80 years old have been mostly inoculated too. As a result, the number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals has started to decline and the epidemiological situation seems to be finally improving.

Yet the future seems uncertain. Although the second wave of the epidemic is not over yet, a third wave is being predicted. Three of the new, highly contagious strains of coronavirus have so far been recorded in Slovenia and the British variant seems to be spreading exponentially in central Slovenia.

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