The Slovenian government warned on Tuesday that the coronavirus situation was not calming down, with 1,619 new cases confirmed in the past 24 hours as well as 19 COVID-19 deaths.

As many as 37,299 tests were done on Monday, almost half on school staff, government representatives said at a press conference.

Currently 1,032 COVID patients are hospitalised, down 3.2% on Monday, and the death toll has reached 3,541.

Incidence in the past 14 days has been 817 per 100,000 population. This ranks Slovenia fourth in the EU, after the Czech Republic, Portugal, and Spain, said Milan Krek, head of the national Public Health Institute.

The presence of the English strain is causing additional concern, which some say could be the reason why the epidemic is not calming down despite strict measures.

According to optimistic Public Health Institute projections, the epidemic relent only in May or June, when the impact of vaccination should be felt to a greater extent, provided the measures in place are strictly complied with.

The government’s economic advisor, Matej Lahovnik, said vaccination would have a positive effect on economic recovery and announced an eighth set of laws to help people and businesses affected by the COVID crisis.