In the last 24 hours 1,892 coronavirus cases and six related deaths have been registered in Slovenia, where epidemiologists fear the Omicron variant could become the dominant one by mid-January.

According to projections commissioned by the government from the Jozef Stefan Institute, daily infections could surpass 2,500 on 12 January, when the current virus reproduction rate of 1.3 is also expected to go up, as are hospitalisations.

In the last 24 hours, 36.6% of the tests have come back positive. Currently 553 Covid-19 patients are hospitalized, including 179 in intensive care.

Slovenian media reported on Friday that medical workers, notably those who are on the government’s Covid scientific team and speak in public, are being increasingly subjected to verbal, and some to physical, abuse.

They mainly receive vulgar letters, said Tatjana Lejko-Zupanc, head of Ljubljana’s infection hospital. She also called for mandatory vaccination to prevent healthcare from collapsing due to Omicron.