Health Ministry: Epidemiological Situation Continues to Worsen Slightly

Bratislava, August 18 (TASR) – The epidemiological situation in Slovakia continues to worsen slightly, TASR learnt from Health Ministry spokeswoman Zuzana Eliasova on Wednesday.

There are approximately 70 confirmed cases from PCR tests per day currently, with children under 16 currently accounting for approximately 18 percent of the cases. The delta variant dominates, appearing in practically 100 percent of the sequenced samples, with approximately 180 sequenced samples per week.

Over the past two weeks, 80 percent of the cases have occurred in people who haven’t been vaccinated at all or haven’t been fully vaccinated. The seven-day incidence rate in Slovakia is approximately ten.

The positivity of tests (both PCR and antigen) is also growing, with the average seven-day positivity exceeding one percent for the first time since the second half of June (with an average of 6,000 tests per day). The highest positivity was in the districts of Banska Stiavnica (Banska Bystrica region – 6.4 percent), Myjava (Trencin region – 6.1 percent), Revuca (Banska Bystrica region – 3.5 percent) and Stropkov (Presov region – 3.2 percent).

The number of patients in hospitals remains stable (since mid-July).