STA, 21 March 2021 - Slovenia reported 516 new coronavirus cases in 2,849 PCR tests on Saturday for a positivity rate of some 18%. The seven-day average of new daily cases kept up its upward trend, standing at 808. Five Covid-19 deaths were recorded, show fresh official data.
A total of 6,843 rapid antigen tests were also conducted with all the positives there re-examined with PCR tests.
The number of persons in hospital totalled 473 this morning, up by 15 on the day before, including 93 patients in intensive care, up by five. 19 were discharged home.
The increase in hospitalisations is likely a result of both the rising trend in infections as well as the fact that the total of patients usually increases over the weekend as fewer of them are discharged then as a rule.
The seven-day average increased by six to 808. The 14-day incidence per 100,000 residents meanwhile stands at 500, up by seven.
In the past seven days, 5,690 infections have been recorded, some 16% increase on the previous 7-day period.
According to the tracker site Covid-19 Sledilnik, the latest deaths have brought the death toll to 3,972.
Since the start of the pandemic, Slovenia has reported 206,027 cases, of which 10,536 are deemed active, show data by the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ).
STA, 20 March 2021 - The head of Slovenia's group of experts who advise the government on coronavirus measures has warned that the country is no longer just facing a new wave of the epidemic but is already at the start of the third wave.
"We're definitely no longer on the verge or facing the third wave, we're at the beginning of the third wave and we've started it with second-wave figures that are still high," infectious diseases specialist Mateja Logar wrote on Twitter.
She said experts have already said everything that they know. "Now it's up to each and everyone of us to do the maximum they can to make sure the crest is as low as possible."
Her statement comes after a week in which daily new cases rose on average by a fifth over the week before, indication that the country has entered exponential growth.
The rolling seven-day average of new daily infections exceeded 800 after well over a month, as the prevalence of more virulent variants of coronavirus continues to rise.
However, the situation in hospitals remains stable and hospitalisations are at less than half their peak. Deaths, while slightly higher than at the lowest point, are significantly lower as well as a majority of the oldest population, which is at highest risk of severe Covid or death, has been vaccinated.
The latest official data show over 182,000 have received the first shot of a coronavirus vaccine, roughly 8.7% of the population, and almost 104,000 have received both shots.
Moreover, more than one in ten Slovenians has had a confirmed infection. While this does not preclude a reinfection, it gives most of those infected at least a degree of immunity.
