By: P.T., STA
Mass vaccination against Covid-19 got under way among the elderly at care homes at 8:30 a.m. when the first three care home residents were vaccinated, retired Archbishop of Maribor Franc Kramberger, Angelca Butenko and Jože Pelko, the government said on Twitter on Sunday.
It’s important to single the three out but until 9:30 a.m. many care home residents had already been vaccinated, Health Ministry State Secretary Marija Magajne told the press, speaking in front of the Fužine care home in Ljubljana. “This inspires hope that we are at the start of the end of the epidemic.”
Magajne announced that people older than 80 who are at home could be vaccinated towards the end of January.
March or later is the most likely date for the general population to be vaccinated, or sooner if vaccines developed by other producers are approved.
The state secretary said that all care homes received as much vaccine as there was interest among the elderly and a proportionate share for the staff.
Slovenia received the first 9,750 doses of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech on Saturday.
The vaccine was delivered to UKC Ljubljana hospital and then distributed to community health centres, which are in charge of vaccination at care homes.
Next to be vaccinated after the elderly and staff at care homes will be medical staff at hospitals.
The country expects to receive another 6,825 doses of vaccine next week, and then 16,575 doses weekly next year.
A total of 614 Covid-19 cases were confirmed in Slovenia on Saturday as 25.1% of a total of 2,438 PCR and rapid tests came back positive. The positivity rate remained on a par with Friday. Thirty-three people died, pushing the death toll to 2,565.
The number of hospitalised Covid-19 patients rose by 14 to 1,179. 205 people required intensive care, 4 fewer than on Friday, while 38 patients were discharged from hospital.
The number of PCR tests on Saturday reached 1,880, of which 548 came back positive, while 66 infections were confirmed from 558 rapid tests.