A year has passed on 4 March since the first reported case of the new coronavirus in Slovenia. Exactly one year after the first coronavirus case, we are still in the middle of an epidemic. However, the life for high school students from first to third year is somewhat returning to normal next week. The news also delighted educators. Lectures will run under the C model – one week in school, one week at home.

The COVID-19 epidemic was declared in Slovenia eight days following the confirmed first case, and the country has since been in an epidemic 60 per cent of the time. All hopes for the end of the epidemic are now laid on vaccines.

The government has adopted an updated national strategy for vaccinations against COVID-19. The adapted strategy includes 61 vaccination centres, of which are 13 in hospitals, as well as priority groups for receiving the vaccines. The option for storing vaccines, which are currently waiting to be approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), has also been defined.

The main aim of the strategy is to reduce COVID-19 mortality, to improve the health of the people by preventing severe coronavirus cases in individuals, to relieve the health system and to restart the economy and re-establish education, traffic, activities in culture and social life and other activities that have been restricted due to the crisis. That is why groups of people with the highest risk of having a severe case and death due to COVID-19 need to be vaccinated first and then, in the shortest time possible, reach the highest possible vaccination coverage of the people, at least 60%.