Two-thirds of Slovakia’s 5.4 million people have been tested for COVID-19. Of the 3.625 million people tested for corona virus, only 38,359, or 1.06%, were found to be positive.
It became part of a controversial national programme as Slovakia was aiming to become one of the first countries in the world to test the entire population.
“We have made a great leap forward,” said Prime Minister Igor Matovic. However, he advised that although only one percent confirmed positive for the virus, we should not assume that everything is fine.
“In reality up to 2% of our inhabitants might be infected. It is not at all a good situation,” PM Igor Matovic added.
Antigen tests provide much faster results than PCR tests, which require swab tests that need to be sent to the laboratory, but they are less reliable.
Another round of COVID-19 tests is scheduled for this weekend in Slovakia.
While participation is not mandatory, anyone who fails to produce a negative test certificate will face a hefty fine if stopped by the police. Also those who tests positive are advised to self-isolate immediately for 10 days.
Despite being below the EU average, there has been a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in Slovakia in recent weeks. Currently, there are restrictions in place in the country. However, the government has indicated that virus restrictions could be relaxed once the testing is complete.
So far, 61,829 people in the country have been confirmed for the corona virus. The death toll from the virus is 219.