Ljubljana - Slovenia's health authorities reported 1,282 new coronavirus cases for Sunday to push the rolling 7-day average and the 14-day incidence per 100,000 residents higher still. Over 43% of the PCR tests came back positive yesterday.

Figures released by the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) on Monday show the seven-day average rose by four from the day before to 2,862 and the 14-day incidence per 100,000 increased by 28 to 1,735.

Government data show that hospitalisations totalled 843 this morning, up by 46 on Sunday, including 190 patients in need of intensive care, up by six.

Another 13 people with Covid died to bring the national death toll to 5,162, according to Health Ministry data.

NIJZ estimates there are now over 36,600 active cases in the country.

Robert Carotta, the national coordinator for Covid hospital wards, told TV Slovenija on Sunday that the number of Covid beds would further increase, however the quality of health care would get worse as ICU cases will be sent to non-Covid wards as well.

The capacities are expected to increase to a maximum of 1,200 regular beds and 300 intensive care beds, he said.

Since intensive care units are filled with Covid patients, hospitals are struggling to provide staff and facilities to operate on other patients.

The problem is mainly a shortage of appropriately trained staff who have been transferred to Covid wards. Patients are therefore waiting for surgery, sometimes for too long, UKC Maribor, the country's second largest medical centre, warned today.

The situation is most critical at the hospital's Department of Surgery, where, in addition to a lot of staff, four floors have been given over to the treatment of Covid patients.

Whereas the department had 15 operating theatres at its disposal before the epidemic, there are now seven available for operations on non-Covid patients, meaning the number of operations per day has dropped by some 20 on the pre-Covid period.

"We're already struggling to provide emergency procedures. Elective surgical procedures have been virtually all cancelled," said the organisational head of the department Igor Movrin, adding that waiting times are getting longer, which is especially critical for patients with heart conditions.