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Eight new coronavirus cases recorded, death toll up by one to 82
First case of Covid-19 infection discovered as part of random population testing
Eight new coronavirus cases recorded, death toll up by one to 82
STA, 26 April 2020 - Slovenia recorded eight new coronavirus cases on Saturday as 794 tests were carried out. One person died, bringing the total death toll to 82, according to government data released on Sunday.
The number of people in hospital with Covid-19 was 80, three more than on Friday. Twenty-three patients were in intensive care, unchanged from Friday, and two were discharged from hospital.
The majority of Covid-19 patients are currently treated at the two largest hospitals in the country, UKC Ljubljana (32) and UKC Maribor (29).
Until last midnight, as many as 48,973 test were carried out, of which 1,396 were positive. The days with the largest number of deaths were 4 and 6 April, when six persons died a day.
Saturday's number of new Covid-19 cases is roughly the same as Thursday's, when seven new infections were recorded, whereas the Friday figure more than doubled to 15 from a day earlier.
Commenting on the sharp daily rise, Milan Krek, who is to take over at the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) if green-lighted by the government, attributed it to people not sticking to social distancing rules during the Easter holiday.
"If people don't respect the restrictions, this will again reflect in the number of new infections in two weeks," he told the STA last evening after the NIJZ council appointed him the new director.
"I'm most worried about Labour Day bonfires. A single Labour Day party can lead to a catastrophe. It's enough for one infected person to be there to have 50 new cases a day in two weeks' time."
Krek therefore insists that the restrictions, including limits to travelling outside one's municipality of residence, must not be lifted yet.
Easing the restrictions gradually is key for the experts to be able to assess its impact on the health situation in the country. "The impact of easing one restriction must not exceed the capacities of the healthcare system," he warned.
First case of Covid-19 infection discovered as part of random population testing
STA, 26 April 2020 - As part of a random population Covid-19 testing launched on Monday, one person who did not know was infected has tested positive for the coronavirus. Epidemiologist have already contacted the person and advised those who have been in contact with them to self-isolate.
The person is from the north-east of the country, Miroslav Petrovec, head of the Institute of Microbiology and Immunology at the Faculty of Medicine said on Sunday.
The person was tested on Friday, and the first tests have shown that the infection is already easing off, Petrovec said.
Epidemiologists contacted the person on Saturday and identified the persons with whom the infected had been in contact to advise them self-isolation, Milan Krek, the new head of the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), told the STA.
Petrovec told the STA that this was the first newly discovered Covid-19 case as part of the nation-wide testing campaign.
No other details were revealed due to personal data protection rules, but this case is one of the eight new infections recorded on Saturday.
Four were recorded in central Slovenia (Ljubljana and Medvode) and three in Ljutomer, one of the hotspots of the coronavirus from the north-east.
Another person had meanwhile been previously tested as part of the random testing campaign who had known of their infection, having tested positive in March, explained Petrovec.
While 3,000 people have been invited to take part in the campaign, 1,315 have responded to the invitation and 1,136 tests have already been carried out.
As the government said on Twitter, 218 tests were performed on Saturday, and Petrovec said the campaign is also continuing today.
He believes it will take at least until Thursday to complete the testing. Then, next week the blood samples will also have to be analysed.
Krek on the other hand reiterated his view about the need to be cautious in easing movement restrictions, saying there were many unknowns about the virus.
It will also depend on the results of the random testing campaign how the government proceeds with the easing of the restrictions, said Krek, who was yesterday appointment NIJZ director, pending government approval.
