STA, 11 August 2020 - One person died and 17 new SARS-CoV-2 infections were confirmed in 1,058 tests in Slovenia on Monday according to the most recent data released by the government on Tuesday. 23 people were in hospital with two requiring intensive care.
With the total tally of cases reaching 2,272, there are currently 171 active cases of infection in Slovenia, while 129 have died in total, according to the national tracker covid-19.sledilnik.
Government speaker Jelko Kacin told the press on Tuesday that at least eight of the cases confirmed yesterday were imported from abroad, one from Bosnia-Herzegovina and seven of them from Croatia, where many Slovenians are on summer vacation.
As regards Croatia he said that the country's epidemiological situation was not particularly bad, especially not on the coast, where most of Slovenian holidaymakers are located.
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Kacin blamed youngsters who disregard social distancing measures at parties for continuous spreading of the virus in Slovenia, but also said that with 7.99 infections per 100,000 people Slovenia was "very safe" and that the situation was now much better than a fortnight ago when 24 new cases were confirmed on 29 July.
He moreover said that this second wave of the pandemic in Slovenia was milder than the first, giving hope that people returning from holidays will not worsen the situation.
Even so, he warned people going abroad to avoid crowds, wear face masks and be diligent about hand hygiene. They should also refrain from going to night clubs abroad.
With the school bound to start in three weeks, Kacin also called on parents to be careful about their family travels, urging them to avoid countries with poor epidemiological situation.
He said the government was hoping school would start normally, but was also preparing for the worst case scenario of remote schooling.
Kacin also talked about Slovenia's vaccine order plans, saying that "initial numbers were some 200,000 doses in the first phase", adding that Slovenia is yet to decide which of the vaccines it should buy.
He said that the most vulnerable groups, including the elderly, elderly home residents, their staff, and health care workers, would have precedence.
Out of the 17 cases confirmed yesterday, seven were in Ljubljana, while none were confirmed in Hrastnik, where a local elderly care home has been a hotspot of infection for weeks. However, the one fatality recorded yesterday was a Hrastnik care home resident hospitalised in Maribor.
One case was also confirmed in Novo Mesto yesterday, after a nurse in the local elderly home tested positive last week. The care home said today that none of the residents cared for by the infected nurse had tested positive.
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