(source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)
Good evening. Catch up on the main news of the day in less than five minutes with the Wednesday, October 6 edition of Today in Slovakia. We wish you a pleasant read.
Police to cooperate with hospitals and vaccination teams
Illustrative stock photo (source: Archive of Sme)
The repeated attacks of radical anti-vaxxers against healthcare workers have caught the attention of government representatives, who addressed the problem at the Central Crisis Staff session on October 6.
“We value the work of our healthcare workers, and the Health Ministry has very clearly communicated that we will protect our healthcare workers and take all the necessary steps so they can conduct their work peacefully. We will contribute to the protection of public health and also our healthcare workers,” Minister Lengvarský said, as quoted by TASR.
He agreed with Interior Minister Roman Mikulec that the police will more actively cooperate with hospitals and mobile vaccination teams to ensure they are adequately protected against verbal and physical threats from vaccination opponents.
"Anyone who feels endangered by threats should let the police know,” Mikulec said.
Uneasy way to obtain the vaccine for pregnant women
(source: TASR/AP)
Several vaccination centres require pregnant and breastfeeding women to show confirmation that their gynaecologist or GP agrees with the vaccination.
Some suggest this may discourage women interested in vaccination from getting the jab.
An outpatient clinic that issued such a request says that they are only following the official recommendation of the State Institute for Drug Control. The institute claims they issued no such recommendation.
Coronavirus and vaccination news
Comirnaty vaccine (source: TASR)
1,971 people were newly diagnosed as Covid positive out of 14,117 PCR tests performed on Tuesday. The number of people in hospitals has increased to 753 people. Seven more deaths were reported on Tuesday. The vaccination rate is at 44.77 percent; 2,462,200 people have received the first dose of the vaccine. More stats on Covid-19 in Slovakia here.
830,192 (64.57 percent) seniors older than 60 years are vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. (NCZI)
Social care centres are getting ready to vaccinate people with the third dose of the Covid vaccine. They could start vaccinating as early as next week. Health Minister Vladimír Lengvarský said that they will also prioritise people who have problems with immunity. After these vulnerable groups are vaccinated, third-dose vaccination will be launched for the greater public, the minister said.
On this day in history
On Wednesday, the inhabitants of Slovakia commemorate Memorial Day - the Heroes' Day of the Carpathian-Dukla Operation, which became one of the bloodiest operations of the Second World War. The liberation of Slovakia from the fascist occupiers began with this operation 77 years ago.
Commemorative event (source: TASR)
Feature story for today
A key cause for concern among Slovak industrialists in the last quarter of 2021 is the unprecedented electricity prices businesses are facing. Economy Minister Richard Sulík addresses these and other challenges in an interview.
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In other news
Comenius University in Bratislava ranked 272nd in the latest Three University Missions ranking. Within the V4 countries, only one Czech and one Polish university was ranked above the Slovak university, Comenius University said.
37 percent of Slovak entrepreneurs paid their invoices on time in the first half of 2021. Almost 12 percent paid them seven days after the due date and 9 percent paid them 30 days after the deadline, according to Solitea, the invoice system for companies and the self-employed.
National carrier Railway Company Slovakia (ZSSK) warns travellers that since the beginning of October, there is ongoing reconstruction and maintenance work on the Bratislava-Dunajská Streda-Komárno route. As a result, delayed trains should be expected. On some parts of the route, buses will replace trains.
The Orava-based metallurgical company OFZ suspended four of its seven furnaces due to the high prices of energies. Electricity prices jumped to almost €300 per megawatt hour (MWh); the recent record was €90.
Parliament sent a law on assistance for pregnant women proposed by Anna Záborská (OĽaNO) and a group of MPs to the second reading. 75 MPs out of the present 130 voted yes. Some deputies claim that the law, instead of providing aid, will make it more difficult for women to access abortions. The lawmakers state in the explanatory report that the aim is to create support measures for women who are considering applying for an abortion.
In Slovakia, 198 regular chargers and 43 quick chargers for electric cars will be added within half a year, the Economy Ministry announced. The ministry approved 75 requests for support in the overall volume of €647,000 for entrepreneurs, villages and regions.
Rail fares and the prices of highway vignettes will not grow, Transport Minister Andrej Doležal wrote on social media. "The hike could be contemplated, but an agreement at the level of the Coalition Council does not exist; hence, it stands that neither the prices of highway vignettes nor train fares will be raised," Doležal said.
Do not miss on Spectator.sk today
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