Nursing homes' residents account for nearly 3 in 5 COVID deaths in Slovenia

According to the data from the Slovenian National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), 2,891 people infected with coronavirus died in Slovenia last year, 1,682 of whom were retirement home residents, who accounted for 58% of COVID-19-related deaths, NIJZ head Milan Krek said at a government press conference.

Speaking about mortality rates and the effect of the epidemic on the population, Krek said that in terms of the high age of the population Slovenia could be compared with northern Italy, where residents of retirement home also accounted for a high percentage of deaths, about 39%.

The highest number of COVID-19 deaths in Slovenia was registered in the population aged over 85, but there were also fatalities in the population aged 25 to 34, and last year a pregnant woman died due to coronavirus infection, Krek said, adding that doctors were able to save the newborn but not the mother.

According to preliminary data, there were 3,135 more deaths in Slovenia in 2020 than in 2019, which is partly attributed to the COVID-19 epidemic but also to the consequences of long-term neglect to ensure necessary staff and accommodation capacities in retirement homes and insufficient care for the elderly in general, Krek said.

He added that Slovenia needed more nursing homes which had to be built according to new standards, as well as more palliative care hospitals.