By: Peter Truden / Nova24tv
“After infections among EU leaders, the intense care more full than last year, health workers exhausted, a wife from the third night shift in the last 8 days, teams from neighbouring countries are coming to help – whereas, POP TV, RTV, Janković and KUL talk about protests, dictatorship and mulled wine,” said Prime Minister Janez Janša in response to controversial media coverage of the closure of holiday stalls with food and drink.
Following Saturday’s ban on food and drink at stalls, a sharp offensive was launched on POP TV and other media against an urgent government measure to prevent mass gatherings of people during the epidemic. The struggle for mulled wine began, as if it were a guaranteed human right during the Christmas holidays. Certainly, for many people it is an important part of socialising during this holiday season, but in this case, people’s lives and health have an absolute priority over rejoicing, and this must be taken extremely seriously. At least until we get a satisfactory vaccination rate.
What we witnessed on Saturday in the evening (dis)information news broadcasts of commercial and national television is the terrible resistance against the closing of stalls, due to a few caterers in the centre of Ljubljana, where it is known that only those who pay a large sum to Mayor Zoran Janković get a good spot. “We just got off to a good start, and we already have to clean up,” 24ur host Petra Kerčmar began the introduction to the article about the anger of caterers. They then displayed a cheerful atmosphere at the festive stalls on the last day of the opening, all of which was ruined by the government with the news of the stalls closing. “There were really a lot of them.” Instead of realising that something was seriously wrong, they continued. With statements from disappointed visitors and Ljubljana Mayor Janković.
The hospitals are full and still being filled
But the epidemiological data are telling enough. On Saturday, December 4th, 2,986 PCR tests were performed, and 1,116 new coronavirus infections were confirmed, the share of positive tests was 37.4% (34.6 the day before). 24.6 percent fewer infections were confirmed than a week ago. They also performed 51,579 HAGT (so-called rapid) tests, where the positive people are additionally checked by PCR tests. The youngest patient with covid-19 in the hospital is 29 years old, the youngest patient in intensive care is 20 years old.
If the number of infected people is decreasing, the situation in hospitals is the opposite. There are 1,034 covid-19 patients in hospitals (5 more than the day before), 58 patients were admitted, 40 were discharged. There are 271 patients in intensive care (12 more than the day before). Thirteen people died with covid-19. And these are key pieces of information we need to adopt to understand the situation. Hospitals are full and continue to fill. Even Italian soldiers are coming to our aid, who will join the groups of the Military Medical Unit of the Slovenian Army, which are already helping in private departments in four hospitals in Slovenia, namely the University Clinical Centers (UKC) in Ljubljana and Maribor and hospitals in Celje and Novo mesto.