STA, 2 November 2021 - A group of experts advising the government on Covid-19 will propose two scenarios to the government to address the rapidly deteriorating epidemiological situation in Slovenia, including a 10-day lockdown, the STA has learnt from a well-placed yet unofficial source.

Should the government not opt for the lockdown, the group proposes other restrictions - strict control of Covid passes, closure of hospitality establishments at 11pm, sports events without spectators, work from home for the public sector, and capping public assembly to a maximum 10 people who must meet the convalescent-vaccinated-tested (PCT) rule.

Should these measures not produce an improvement in the epidemiological situation in a week, the task force will still propose a full lockdown of ten days, while it would also like to increase availability of free-of-charge testing.

The task force met to discuss the measures and agreed on them yesterday. Its head Mateja Logar, a doctor at UKC Ljubljana's Infectious Diseases Clinic, told the STA on Tuesday that the group will meet the government today.

Robert Carotta, coordinator for Covid beds at hospitals, told the STA that hospital leaderships are meeting the health minister today as hospitalisations are rising.

Unofficial information obtained by the STA indicates that the current number of available Covid beds is fully occupied or that the capacities have been even exceeded.

According to the government, 634 Covid patients are in hospital, up 31 on yesterday, of whom 158 are in intensive care.

Health Ministry State Secretary Franc Vindišar announced last week that "rigorous measures will have to be taken" once 160-180 Covid beds in intensive care are full.

The government first introduced lockdown for several months when the epidemic broke out in March 2020, and again approximately a year ago, including for schools, while also opting for a much shorter lockdown around last Easter holidays.

Get the latest data on covid and Slovenia

STA, 31 October 2021 - A total of 1,663 new coronavirus were recorded in Slovenia on Saturday, fresh data by the National Institute of Public Health show. The test positivity rate was the highest since the start of the epidemic, at 42.1%. Six more patients died, according to government data.

The 7-day average of new daily cases increased by 23 on the day before to 2,263 as the 14-day incidence per 100,000 people rose by 49 to 1,312.

The estimated number of active infections rose to 27,686.

572 Covid-19 patients are in hospitals today, up 14 from yesterday, including 138 in intensive care unit, which is six more than the day before, the government said on Twitter.

The youngest patient in hospital is 19 years old and the youngest patient in intensive care is 21.

So far, a total of 1,119,181 people or 53% of the population have been vaccinated. The share for those over 18 years old is at 63%, and for those over 50 it is at 74%.

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 29 October, 2021.

Mladina: Govt's epidemic strategy guided by upcoming election

STA, 29 October 2021 - Mladina says in its latest editorial that the government's Covid-19 strategy is actually "crazy business" that has nothing to do with the epidemic, because the basic premise that prevents the government from having a strategy and that steers the country's fight against the epidemic has a name - election.

"It sounds banal, and actually even criminal, but the Slovenian government today takes (or does not take) measures based on the fact that general election will be held in the country in half a year," the weekly says in Price of Pre-election Period.

Half of the voters who may take part in the election refuses vaccination, sending an indirect message that they also reject the majority of the anti-epidemic measures, which is why the government has been taking illogical and inconsistent measures.

"When it comes to all measures, the main line of thinking of the prime minister and other coalition party presidents is how possible individual measures taken by the government will impact the sentiment of voters in the upcoming election."

Taking action during an epidemic does have a political effect on the electorate, but this applies to every government, Mladina says, noting that Miro Cerar (2014-2018) had the refugee crisis and Alenka Bratušek (2013-2014) had the financial crisis.

"What comes with politics is politicians being able to look beyond the party and personal interests and take measures that will probably be damaging to them politically, but beneficial for the country and its residents."

According to the weekly, this is especially true for the current government and the time of epidemic - it is without a doubt a historical moment in which true statesmen sacrifice their possible future career in the name of higher goals.

"This government is not doing that, this is something Janez Janša is not capable of. That man continues to think only about himself, like all autocratic leaders. It is not about the nation, it is about him."

The weekly notes that Slovenia cannot afford another six months of pre-election time, because it immediately needs a government that will not look at the epidemic and measures to stem it through the lenses of the upcoming elections.

"The price of this calculating and egomaniac conduct is not counted in euros, but in lives," concludes the commentary.

Demokracija: Parallel mechanism of deep state still alive

STA, 28 October 2021 - Demokracija says in its latest commentary that the "parallel mechanism of deep state" from the period of transition is still very much alive in Slovenia and that money for completely political and ideological needs keeps returning to the country.

Today, deep state is being falsely defended by presenting the parallel mechanism as a system that benefits the Slovenian nation and as part of preparations for monetary aid during the independence efforts, the weekly adds in Parallel Mechanism.

The commentary discusses a book on the topic by economist Rado Pezdir, which talks about millions of euros disappearing abroad (mostly in tax havens) and returning in the form of various privatisation stories.

"What makes the book invaluable is that it uses concrete examples to describe how the parallel mechanism functions: from classic crime (cigarette smuggling) by the communist avant-garde and cooperation with (Italian) mafia after WWII."

The refined financial operations at the turn of the millennium show that the mechanism is very much alive and certain circumstantial evidence shows that the violent street protests in Ljubljana are financed in agreement with career criminals.

"The parallel mechanism defends what it holds dear the most: enormous quantities of money, care for heirs of communism, integrity of its (im)moral system and its interpretation of the world," Demokracija says.

It notes that the battle to dismantle this mechanism does not take place in plain daylight, but "at the most visceral levels," and in truth it is a battle between good and evil, between truth and lies.

"The left-wing experiment that has built the parallel mechanism in the first place has been taking place for more than three-quarters of a century in Slovenia, but sooner or later it will crumble under the weight of history," concludes the commentary.

All our posts in this series are here

STA, 29 October 2021 - Dnevnik says in Friday's commentary says in Friday's commentary that the government, which should have taken measures against the new wave of the epidemic long ago, is procrastinating and running out of sensible solutions. It does not even want to think about mandatory vaccination and instead allows the epidemic to progress.

Yesterday, there were 131 Covid-19 patients in intensive care units in Slovenia, and Health Minister Janez Poklukar said he would propose at least a partial lockdown when more than 160 ICU beds are occupied, the newspaper notes.

"His announcement is cynical and mocks the experts, as we will exceed this number even if all of us stay at home as of tomorrow. Statistical calculations say that in the group that was confirmed to be infected in the last seven days alone, 160 people will require intensive care."

Dnevnik adds that the government should have taken measures long ago, and that with the new and unconstitutional lockdown, which is expected to be introduced in mid-November, it would trigger an uncontrollable rage of the masses that it has been instigating in recent months.

The government does not even want to think about mandatory vaccination and only instigates the epidemic, and the human and financial damage of this "negligent approach will be immense and far-reaching."

While many people do not want to get vaccinated, they have been left without the option of free testing, and in such circumstances the recovered-vaccinated-tested (PCT) rule has no effect, as the virus nevertheless spreads fast.

"The PCT condition would make sense if it motivated people to get vaccinated en masse. This measure has also failed miserably."

The government lacks the voice of reason and trust of public, and all representatives of the health authorities should resign, as they only incite revolt in the public with their lack of consistency, concludes the commentary Incapable Government and Capable Virus (Ujetniki nesposobne vlade in sposobnega virusa).

STA, 27 October - Protesters against the Covid pass mandate gathered on Wednesday for another rally, this time in several Slovenian cities, including in Ljubljana where the protest was the largest, totalling a few hundred people. The rallies were peaceful.

In the capital, the protesters gathered in Republic Square, their usual starting point, before marching through the streets.

Rallies in Maribor, Celje and Koper meanwhile saw fewer than hundred people.

The participants were again critical of anti-coronavirus restrictions and the government, reiterating their call for an early election.

They believe Slovenian society faces an information censorship, highlighting the importance of freedom of expression. They also disagree with health experts and the government's appeals to get vaccinated.

Calls to take part in the latest Wednesday protests, which were once more unregistered, were again disseminated on Facebook by Maske Dol (Down with Masks), one of the most prominent anti-mask and anti-vax groups on the social media, and the Resni.ca (Truth) party headed by Zoran Ste

STA, 27 October - Slovenia's epidemiological status is poor as the country's heads towards the worst situation since the start of the epidemic, said Health Minister Janez Poklukar on Wednesday. If the trend is not reversed, he will propose at least a partial lockdown, he announced, noting that some Covid restrictions were being stepped up.

If the situation does not improve and the number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care rises to 160-180, the minister will propose to the government at least a partial lockdown.

"393 people need hospital care, of whom 253 need oxygen, and an additional 133 patients are being treated in intensive care units," said Poklukar at the government's Covid briefing.

This morning, all the hospital beds in Covid wards were occupied, while the occupancy rate in intensive care units is 92%, he said, announcing capacity boosts.

Another two Covid hospitals are expected to be opened, in Sežana and Topolšica, joining the current 13 such hospitals. This will also be discussed at a meeting with hospital representatives on Thursday.

However, given the forecasts, all non-urgent procedures and services in hospitals could be restricted as early as Friday.

"Our hospitals can activate 220 intensive care beds. But who will be treating people on top of these beds? With each additional Covid patient, we run out of space for non-urgent, non-Covid, but equally sick people," the minister said.

Currently, there are 140 ICU beds available across the country and at Thursday's meeting, officials will agree on how to proceed and how much to increase the number by Monday. The minister said that the figure was likely to climb to 155.

He thinks that, due to the low vaccination rate, Slovenia is at a tipping point where the country could be hit by a scenario like the one seen in Italy's Bergamo.

"In fact, we're heading into the worst situation in the Covid-19 epidemic since we have been first faced with the novel coronavirus," he warned.

He again stressed the importance of vaccination. "You can criticise and you can have concerns. All this is legitimate and is at the heart of a democratic society. But opposing measures designed to prevent the spread of the virus currently endangers people's health and lives," he noted.

The implementation of the recovered-vaccinated-tested (PCT) restriction does not seem to be working as well as the authorities would like it to, with on-the-ground verification of the Covid pass being an exception rather than a rule.

The minister also warned about an increase in the number of fake passes. "Mask-wearing is also not consistent, and we have long forgotten about [social] bubbles," he added.

Therefore, regular coronavirus testing in all hospitals and social care institutions will be put in place. "This means that users and care recipients will be regularly tested to prevent outbreaks of infections," Poklukar said.

Employees who have not been vaccinated or have not recovered from Covid-19 will have to get tested every 48 hours, whereas students will be tested twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays. Self-testing for primary and secondary school students remains voluntary but is recommended.

Self-testing is also required for participation in sports programmes, recreational activities and extracurricular activities.

Mask-wearing is mandatory in healthcare, educational and social care activities and in all activities and services where there is personal contact even when participants observe the PCT rule.

The changes will enter into force on Monday and all the potential next steps will be coordinated with the government's Covid-19 task force.

The head of the advisory group Mateja Logar said that if the situation did not take a turn for the better, next measures might be reducing the opening hours of cafes and bars and introducing mandatory self-testing for all students.

"The only thing that can save us at this moment and safeguard the stability of our healthcare is vaccination and the strict implementation of the PCT condition," Poklukar noted.

Responding to the rising Covid cases, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said that the situation should not be ignored anymore. "If we don't stop making excuses regarding the PCT, we will have to go into lockdown," he wrote today.

Počivalšek also met with representatives of inspection services and ordered them to step up monitoring in hospitality establishments, such as bars and restaurants.

"If necessary, we will close down, in accordance with the law, establishments that do not check the Covid pass," he said.

STA, 27 October 2021 - A total of 24,016 people died in Slovenia in 2020, which is 3,428 (16.7%) more than in 2019, with the average age of the deceased being up by one year. The high mortality rate, especially in November and December 2020, resulted in the highest negative natural increase since 1945, the Statistics Office said on Wednesday.

Among the total of 24,016 people that died in Slovenia last year, 11,733 were men and 12,283 women, while the natural population increase has remained in the negative since 2017, the statistical data show.

The Covid-19 epidemic in 2020 and the high mortality rates, especially in November and December, contributed to an even more substantial negative natural increase.

Last year, the population growth rate was -2.5 per 1,000 inhabitants, which is the lowest natural increase in Slovenia since 1945.

The average age of the deceased last year was 79.2 years, which is 1.1 years higher than the average age at the time of death in Slovenia in 2019.

On average, Slovenian men die younger than women. Last year, the average age at death for males was 75.3 years, while the average age at death for females was 82.9 years.

The pandemic that marked 2020 had a significant impact on mortality too. While it was not so pronounced during the first wave in the spring, it became more obvious in the second half of the year, especially in the last quarter.

The excess mortality rate in 2020 was 18.8%, which means that 3,795 (18.8%) more people died than on average in the period between 2015 and 2019, said the Statistics Office.

Last year, 66 people died on average every, 10 more than in 2015-2019. The excess deaths are also reflected in the fact that in all years between 2000 and 2019, there was only one day in which 100 or more people died, compared to 38 such days in 2020.

All of these days were in November or December - 6 December was the day with the highest number of deaths that year (130). The week between 30 November to 6 December 2020 was the week with the highest number of deaths that year (801).

More on this data

STA, 23 October 2021 - Slovenia logged 2,270 coronavirus infections on Friday in what is a near ten-month high. The test positivity rate stood at 30.2%, show fresh official data.

The seven-day average of new cases has therefore increased by 121 to 1,550 and the 14-day incidence per 100,000 population has climbed to 825, up by 66, National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) data show.

NIJZ estimates that there are now 17,436 active cases in the country, which is 3,407 more than the day before and 5,278 more than a week ago.

Get the latest data here

STA, 21 October 2021 - Novartis has signed an initial agreement to use its manufacturing facility in Ljubljana to fill the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19. The Novartis Technical Operations site in Ljubljana will fill at least 24 million doses in its sterile manufacturing facilities in 2022, the Swiss pharma company announced on Thursday.

Novartis plans to take bulk mRNA active ingredient from BioNTech and fill it into vials under sterile conditions for shipment back to BioNTech for its distribution.

Subject to reaching a final agreement, Novartis plans to start filling and finishing the vaccine in Ljubljana in the first half of 2022 once it has transferred the manufacturing process from Stein, Switzerland, to Ljubljana.

Novartis has been filling for BioNTech at its Stein site since June after the European Medicines Agency approved the filling-and-finishing plant. Under the agreement signed at the beginning of 2020, Novartis will fill more than 50 million doses of the vaccine in Stein this year.

Novartis says the facility in Ljubljana is "a state-of-the-art aseptic filling operation which manufactures and supplies a broad range of aseptic products" for its division Sandoz.

Novartis plans to disclose more details once it has concluded specific agreements. It did say however, that it continued to offer its "world-class capabilities to other companies to take over manufacturing activities including a variety of technologies such as mRNA production and others".

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the most widely used Covid-19 vaccine in Slovenia. According to the National Institute of Public Health, 1,514,526 doses of the vaccine have been administered in the country so far.

STA, 20 October 2021 - Protesters against Covid pass mandate and other coronavirus-related restrictions gathered for the sixth consecutive rally in Ljubljana on Wednesday, urging an early election. The protest was addressed by the head of the Resni.ca (Truth) party Zoran Stevanović, who is considered one of the main initiators of the weekly rallies.

According to initial estimates, a few thousand protesters gathered in Congress Square this time as Republic Square, their usual starting point, had been fenced off due to preparations for the upcoming Ljubljana Marathon.

They chanted anti-government slogans, but also voiced criticism against police, judiciary, media, doctors as well as opposition parties, calling for a snap election. Most of all, they are against the recovered-vaccinated-tested requirement.

Rally speeches started at about 4pm with Stevanović being the first to address the crowd, reported the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija. He said the protesters were getting stronger by the day and had set an example for Slovenia's neighbour countries, particularly Italy and its protests in Trieste.

A number of protesters were ID'd at the start of the rally, according to several media reports, with police officers going through the contents of their backpacks and handbags.

The police had noted that the rally had not been registered, urging the participants to protest peacefully and to follow police instructions. Police presence had been boosted and a helicopter had been circling above the rally venue.

After the speeches wrapped up, the protesters started marching through the streets of the capital. The police then urged them to disband, but this has only led to the rally being divided into two groups.