by J.S., STA
Slovenia’s daily coronavirus case count rose to 2,226 on Tuesday on a day of the week that typically sees the highest number of new cases. This was as 43 more Covid-19 patients died, bringing the overall death toll to 1,199.
Data released by the government show the latest cases were from 8,063 coronavirus tests, the highest number yet, which puts the test positivity rate at 27.61%, up from 23.27% on Monday and almost 27% on Sunday, but down from nearly 30% on Saturday.
The daily increase in confirmed cases is the third highest on record, equalling that registered on the Tuesday two weeks ago but the positivity rate at the time was 30%.
Hospitalisations at Covid-19 units dropped by two to 1,297, after 113 patients were discharged yesterday, as the number of patients in intensive care also dropped by two to 202.
Addressing the morning government press briefing, Covid-19 spokesman Jelko Kacin said the epidemiological situation “is not yet inspiring hope” but he said the government was determined to set out an exit strategy whereby differences in the infection status of regions are to be taken into account.
Infections are increasing in all regions except for Central Slovenia and the north-western Gorenjska region with Koroška as one of the regions standing out in terms of infections.
The situation has been particularly difficult in the north-east of the country where there has been a surge in Covid-19 patients.
UKC Maribor, Slovenia’s second largest hospital, had a record number of admissions at the weekend. From Sunday to Monday 218 patients required hospital treatment, 47 of them intensive care.
“I don’t know what exactly to attribute the increase to when it already seemed we are out of the woods, the logical explanation would be St Martin’s 10 days ago,” said Gregor Prosen, the head of the UKC Maribor emergency department, referring to the celebration of new wine in what is one of Slovenia’s main wine growing regions.
Nuška Čakš Jager from the National Institute of Public Health presented the results of a survey among the infected which show the most (25%) reporting getting infected at work, followed by almost as many who do not know where they got infected.
Over 20% got infected from family or household members, and 15% at social and aged care homes, followed by those who reported private socialising as the cause of infection.
According to Kacin, 176 more elderly in care homes tested positive yesterday, bringing the number of actively infected to 2,660, and as many as 114 new infections were confirmed among care home staff for 992 actively infected.
Labour Ministry State Secretary Mateja Ribič said that 24 aged care home residents died yesterday, half of them in hospitals. A total of 580 have died in the second wave.
Slovenia has so far conformed 69,306 coronavirus cases, 20,337 of which are active, according to tracker site covid-19.sledilnik.org.