[ad_1]
Two-thirds of Slovakia’s population of 5.4 million people were tested for coronavirus over the weekend as part of a controversial national program.
Antigen tests were carried out on 3.625 million people, of which 38,359 people, or 1.06 percent, tested positive.
“We have made a great leap forward,” Prime Minister Igor Matovic told reporters.
“But we should not think that because of this one percent, now everything is fine. It is not, ”he added.
“In reality, up to 2% of our inhabitants could be infected. It’s not a good situation. “
Antigen tests give much faster results than PCR tests, which involve nasal swabs that must be sent to a laboratory, but are less reliable.
Another round of testing has been scheduled for next weekend.
Participation is not mandatory, but anyone who is unable to present a negative test certificate if detained by the police could face a heavy fine.
Anyone who tests positive is immediately quarantined for 10 days.
Slovakia wants to be one of the first countries in the world to evaluate its entire population.
Smaller countries like Luxembourg have already done so, as have some Chinese cities with larger populations than Slovakia, like Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have originated from.
The government has hinted that virus restrictions could be eased once testing is complete, or tightened if the program is not fully implemented.
No news is bad news
Support the magazine
your contributions help us continue to deliver the stories that are important to you
Support us now
Like other countries, Slovakia has seen a sharp increase in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, although it is still below the EU average.
Today, it reported 1,883 new cases, bringing the count to 61,829.
A total of 219 people have died from the virus.
However, the show has been criticized for being poorly thought out.
The Slovak Association of General Practitioners said the high concentration of people at the test sites was “at odds with the recommendations of infectious disease experts”.
© – AFP, 2020
[ad_2]