STA, 9 November 2021 - Health Ministry State Secretary Franc Vindišar has warned that, as Slovenian hospitals continue to fill up with Covid-19 patients, the peak occupancy rate of intensive care units is projected for 24 November, when more than 250 ICU beds are expected to be occupied.
Vindišar told the government's press briefing on Tuesday that the daily average of newly admitted Covid-patients in the last week was almost 100, while the average for persons discharged from hospital was 50, and the daily average of deaths at 12.
This week, there are 240 more Covid-19 patients in hospitals than last week, the state secretary said, adding that the epidemiological situation was very serious, and that hospitals were being stretched beyond their normal capacity.
Vindišar noted the predictive model of the Jožef Stefan Institute, under which the peak occupancy rate of intensive care units is projected for on 24 November, with over 250 ICU beds occupied.
Today, the total capacity was increased by two beds to 213, he said, adding that an additional 750 standard beds were available for Covid-19 patients.
More than 190 patients were currently treated in intensive care units, and an additional 681 patients are in standard care.
According to Vindišar, up to 290 beds for ICU patients could be secured in Slovenia. Some capacity needs to be reserved for non-Covid patients, as many other diseases and conditions require intensive therapy, he added.
Vindišar noted that standards for patients in ICUs, who are fully dependent on medical care 24/7, had to be lowered. Before the epidemic, it was close to four nurses per patient a day, and today it was lowered to almost below two.
Economy Ministry State Secretary Simon Zajc meanwhile said that the government decree that brought stricter supervision of the recovered-vaccinated-tested (PCT) rule, effective as of Monday, "prevents full closure of the country".
He said that the aim of the decree was not limiting economic activity, but supervising socialisation, adding that the government had followed the examples of Austria and Italy, where anti-epidemic measures are also being beefed up.
Damir Orehovec, the state secretary at the Education Ministry, spoke about the mandatory self-testing of primary and secondary school students in school three times a week, which is expected to enter into force next Monday.
Orehovec said that this was an alternative to remote learning, and added that more detail about the measure would be presented to head teachers at a meeting on Wednesday as there were many questions from parents and school managements.
"The most vulnerable groups enter the school and kindergarten space and we need to make sure that both children and employees are provided with safe space where they can learn and work," Orehovec said.
He noted that those who meet the recovered-vaccinated (PC) rule would be exempt from the mandatory self-testing in school.
As of 15 November, primary and secondary school students will be eligible for 15 free rapid antigen tests a month, which they will be able to get in pharmacies. Schools will also have some backup test in case students forget to being theirs.
Get all the latest data, in a nice series of maps and charts, here
