77 New Cases; New Rules on Testing Children; Quarantine Cut to 10 Days Sunday
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Slovenia sees 77 new coronavirus infections for Wednesday
STA, 10 September 2020 - After a record-high daily increase in coronavirus infections in Slovenia on Tuesday, the number of newly detected cases remains high. 77 out of 2,489 tests came back positive on Wednesday, which is almost level with the day before. No new fatalities were reported.
After one test proved to be falsely positive on Tuesday, the Health Ministry corrected the figure for the record-breaking day from 79 to 78. The figures for Monday were also amended to include another case which was confirmed in Croatia but the Slovenian decided to be quarantined and receive health treatment in Slovenia.
According to the national tracker Covid-19.sledilnik, Slovenia thus currently has 633 active cases. The national Covid-19 death toll remains unchanged since Friday at 135.
A total of 26 Covid-19 patients were in hospital yesterday, of whom five needed intensive care. Two were discharged from hospital, the government said on Twitter.
The UKC Maribor hospital admitted six residents of a care home who tested positive but showed no symptoms. They were transferred to the hospital to isolate them from other residents, the Health Ministry said.
New infections were recorded in 37 municipalities, including 18 in Ljubljana, where the number of active cases is 120. Maribor follows with 10 new infections and 56 active cases. 191 out out Slovenia's 212 municipalities have at least one infection confirmed.
Most of the newly infected persons are active adults, aged between 25 and 54. Nine new infections were confirmed in children aged between five and 14, and five among the elderly, aged between 75 and 84.
Since the first Covid-19 case was recorded in Slovenia, a total of 3,388 infections have been confirmed.
Rules change for coronavirus testing of children under ten
STA, 10 September 2020 - Medical experts and the Health Ministry have slightly changed the rules for coronavirus testing of children with symptoms of respiratory disease. Children up to nine years old with only mild symptoms of respiratory disease, even if they also have mild fever and diarrhoea, will no longer be immediately tested for Covid-19.
As school started, the issue arose of how to distinguish between Covid-19 symptoms and the symptoms of other infections that are common in kindergarten and school children in the autumn and winter.
Paediatricians proposed that the rule that all children with symptoms of a cold must be tested be re-assessed, so the issue was discussed with ministry officials on Thursday.
Coming out of the meeting, paediatrician Denis Baš told the STA that everyone involved - infectious disease specialists, paediatricians, the National Institute for Public Health and the ministry - had reached a consensus that kindergarten children and children from the first three grades of primary school with a runny or stuffed nose, soar throat and temperature or diarrhoea will stay at home for three days but will not be immediately tested for Covid-19.
However, testing will remain in place for children with these symptoms who have also been in contact with an infected person or whose parents work in health institutions or care homes.
Also tested will be children with fever over 38 degrees Celsius and other signs of Covid-19 disease, Baš explained.
Children aged ten or more will be treated the same as adults, meaning that they will be referred to testing with even the mildest symptoms of respiratory disease.
Border quarantine orders shortened to 10 days from Sunday
STA, 10 September 2020 - Slovenia is cutting mandatory quarantine imposed on arrivals from Covid-19 risky countries from 14 to 10 days starting from Sunday under a decision taken by the government on Thursday.
Announcing changes to the respective government decree, government spokesman Jelko Kacin said the decision was taken on the proposal of the expert group advising the government on Covid-19.
He said the exceptions to mandatory quarantine rules, for those attending a funeral of a close relative and maintaining contacts with close family members, will no longer be limited to 24 hours.
Parents have additionally been added to count as close family members, said Kacin.
There is also change to the rule when arrivals submit a negative test for Sars-CoV-2 as the test will now need to be conducted over the past 48 hours, rather than 36 as so far.
A certificate confirming such a negative test needs to be issued by an institution whose credibility is recognised by the Slovenian Institute of Microbiology and Immunology and the National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food.
The government also secured EUR 5 million from budget reserves for the cost of swab tests at hospitals and community health centres from 12 March to 31 May. The Health Insurance Institute need to transfer the money to healthcare providers until 21 September.
