Passengers wearing face masks are seen on a bus in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on Jan. 11, 2022. Slovenia's government reported a record 5,164 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, against 2,524 the day before, according to data released on Tuesday. (Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua)
LJUBLJANA, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Slovenia's government reported a record 5,164 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, against 2,524 the day before, according to data released on Tuesday.
The previous record was 4,518 new infections, registered on Nov. 3, 2021.
"Over the past 14 days, Omicron has practically displaced Delta, therefore there is no sense in counting cases (of the Omicron variant) as it is very likely that all confirmed cases are Omicron cases," Health Minister Janez Poklukar told a news conference.
"Microbiologists and virologists say that they have never encountered such a fast displacement of a variant by a more contagious one," he added.
He called upon citizens to get vaccinated and announced a special vaccination campaign, which will take place from Thursday till Saturday, when vaccination centers all over the country will be open to all between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
"Vaccination remains the No.1 measure" against the virus, Poklukar said. To date, only 56.9 percent of Slovenia's 2.1 million population have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
"We do not expect vaccination to significantly slow the spread of the virus, but according to recent data it will significantly reduce the share of those ... who will need hospitalization, and that is a big thing," infectiologist Franc Strle told the same news conference.
On Monday, the country shortened the mandatory isolation period for close contacts from ten days to seven days as the Omicron variant has a shorter incubation period than the previous strains.
Poklukar also said that from Feb. 1, Slovenia will limit the validity of the COVID-19 vaccination certificates to nine months. ■
People walk on a street in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on Jan. 11, 2022. Slovenia's government reported a record 5,164 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, against 2,524 the day before, according to data released on Tuesday. (Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua)
A medical worker collects a swab from a woman at a COVID-19 screening center in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on Jan. 11, 2022. Slovenia's government reported a record 5,164 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, against 2,524 the day before, according to data released on Tuesday. (Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua)
