Coronavirus: Slovenia reports second highest daily number of new infections

The Ljubljana Hospital confirmed that a so-called red unit had to be formed for three cancer patients infected with COVID-19 and that more cases like these were expected.

Hospitals with COVID wards have reported staff shortages because some of the staff have had to go into quarantine and isolation during the current wave of the epidemic.

Since the number of hospitalisations is expected to rise in the next two weeks, seven hospitals have increased their capacity, local media reported.

The 12,689 infections were confirmed after 16,928 PCR tests were conducted, which is a test positivity rate of 75.4%. Another 10 COVID patients have died, the country's public health institute said on Tuesday.

The seven-day daily average has risen to 11,103 new infections and the 14-day incidence per 100,000 population has increased to 5,987.

A total of 653 COVID patients are hospitalised, including 130 in intensive care wards.

The number of hospitalisations is expected to start growing faster.

Last week, more than 73,000 new infections were reported, by far the highest number of new cases in a week since the start of the epidemic, and 80 people died, almost twice as many as in the week before.