By: UKOM
The press conference on the current COVID-19 situation was attended by the Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Janez Cigler Kralj, and the Commander of the Civil Protection Service of the Notranjska Region, Sandi Curk.
Minister Cigler Kralj spoke about the COVID-19 situation in homes for the elderly and social welfare institutions. During field visits, the responses have been uniform: “The period during which the vaccine was not yet available and we were faced with a large number of cases and deaths remains deeply rooted among the homes’ residents, staff and management. That is why there is a very strong awareness and self-awareness of the importance of vaccines and vaccination.” Overall vaccination coverage among residents of the residential homes for the elderly is 96%.
The situation is markedly different to that of a year ago, when the vaccine was not available yet, but the number of confirmed cases in residential homes for the elderly are on the rise. There are currently 92 active cases among residents and 110 among members of staff. Unfortunately, there have also been nine deaths.
The minister also presented the data about the vaccination rates in residential homes for the elderly and social welfare institutions. The vaccination rate among home residents is 95.5%, while it stands at 60.5% among staff.
“We are actively monitoring the situation in the homes, also through video conferences,” explained the minister. The latest video conference took place last Friday and was devoted to illustrating the importance of vaccination.
The Commander of the Civil Protection Service for the Notranjska Region, Sandi Curk, stressed the importance of volunteers and the general population as well as the strategy of visiting small villages and hamlets. He said that there are many remote settlements where people are welcoming them with open arms. On average, they vaccinate anywhere from 70 to 140 people each day. “People in need of help are everywhere,” added Commander Curk.
Source: gov.si