Ljubljana - As many as 3,666 new coronavirus cases were detected in Slovenia on Friday for a 39.8% positivity rate, slightly up from Thursday's 37.6%, shows data released by the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) on Saturday. The number of Covid patients in intensive care hit a record 225 since the start of the epidemic in March 2020.

The number of all Covid patients meanwhile increased from yesterday to this morning by 27 to almost 1,000, hitting 981, government data shows.

The youngest Covid patient in intensive care is 28 years old, while the youngest one treated in a regular Covid unit is 20.

Another 20 Covid patients died yesterday.

The NIJZ estimates there are now over 41,000 active cases in the country, at 41,534, up by 665 from yesterday.

The 7-day average of new cases rose by 1 to 3,141, and the 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 population increased by 31 to 1,969.

54% of around 2 million Slovenian residents have been fully immunised against Covid, with the share among those older than 18 at 63% and at 74% for the over 50s.

A booster shot has already been received by 161,076 people.

The Jožef Stefan Institute said yesterday that judging by the positivity rate, "the fourth wave of the epidemic has probably reached its peak".

The institute has calculated that infections are currently spreading at the reproduction rate of about 1, meaning one infected person infects approximately one person.