STA, 15 December 2020 - Another 1,524 people tested positive for coronavirus in Slovenia on Monday and a further 44 Covid-19 patients lost their lives as the number of hospitalised patients dropped somewhat, government data show.
Of the 5,634 tests performed yesterday, 27.05% returned positive results, meaning the positivity rate was slightly up again after dropping to 25.67% from over 31% the day before.
"Even though the share of positive tests remains high, the number of newly confirmed infections over the past three days compared with the figures a week ago is falling after all," Jelko Kacin, the government Covid-19 spokesman, said.
The number of new cases confirmed yesterday was down 103 from a week ago, as 49 fewer infections were confirmed on Sunday than a week ago and even 200 fewer on Saturday than a week ago, said Kacin.
The number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 dropped by 36 to 1,284 after 127 were discharged home and 115 were newly admitted, and the number of those treated in intensive care units fell by four to 204.
The latest figures take the total number of infections confirmed so far to over 98,000. The death toll has increased to 2,151.
The seven-day average of new cases is 1,496, and the 14-day incidence per 100,000 residents is 984, government data show.
Voluntary mass testing to begin in Ljubljana next week
STA, 15 December 2020 - Health Minister Tomaž Gantar has announced that voluntary mass testing for coronavirus could start in Ljubljana as early as next week prior to Christmas holidays, with testing to be made available more widely after New Year's.
"We'll start performing testing as a trial next week in the Ljubljana area; testing will be voluntary, with only health insurance card being required," Gantar said.
Announcing the plan at the daily coronavirus briefing on Tuesday, Gantar said in Ljubljana testing could be performed as early as between 21 and 24 December.
He said about 60 such rapid tests could be taken per hour and testing would be performed for about nine to ten hours a day.
Later, when 100 mobile testing units are available, mass voluntary testing will also be available elsewhere in the country.
The ministry last week issued a public call for mobile unit teams, receiving bids from 30 providers for 100 mobile testing units on the ground.
Although the first call for rapid antigen tests was unsuccessful with a repeat call expiring today, the minister expects 30,000 such tests to be available on 21 December and as many more on 28 December.
After the New Year the priority for testing will be teachers with the priority measure after the New Year being to allow schools to reopen on 4 January or a week later.
