Bratislava The initial phase of comprehensive testing of Slovaks for coronavirus, which took place from Friday to Sunday in the four epidemics most affected districts in the north and east of the country, revealed 5,594 infected. This is almost four percent of the total population of 140,945 who passed the test. Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic told the press on Monday. At the same time, he expressed his gratitude to the inhabitants and to those parts of the state that participated in the testing.
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Although the launch of the project was accompanied by local organizational problems or missing staff, according to the Prime Minister, the problems were eliminated on the first day of the event.
The government promises to detect outbreaks of the disease and slow down the spread of coronavirus from a comprehensive testing of the population, which should be repeatedly repeated at the end of this week and next week. Participation in the tests was voluntary, but a negative result is a condition for the use of several exceptions to the current significant restriction on the free movement of persons. In the four regions without a test, people are now not even allowed to work.
“Hats off to people on one side or the other. Hats off to the armed forces under whose direction this pilot took place. Hat down towards members of the police force, fire brigade, all medical staff, (hat down) in front of mayors and mayors, “said Matovič.
For comprehensive testing of the population, the authorities used antigen tests, which are less accurate than the PCR tests used in the laboratories, but allow the result to be determined in about a quarter of an hour. Matovič pointed out that antigenic tests can detect only about 30 to 40 percent of those infected, those in whom the coronavirus has fully developed.
Slovakia reports a record increase in infections. Restrictions on free movement have come into force in the country |
Not only residents of the districts where the tests took place could participate in the testing. The Ministry of Defense originally estimated that over 180,000 people could take the test. On Monday, the authorities claimed that the latest estimates of possible participation were at the level of 155,000 people.
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Slovakia has been growing significantly since the beginning of October. On Saturday, the daily increase exceeded 3,000 infected for the first time; results from area testing are not included in this number. The country has gradually introduced several quarantine measures, and from Saturday until the end of this week, a significant restriction on the free movement of persons has been in place for the time being.
Prime Minister Matovic has previously said that the restrictions, with the changed conditions, could last another two weeks.
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