Although Slovenia is seeing a downward trend in new COVID-19 cases, its epidemiologists are warning of a possible third wave of the epidemic as a result of the emergence of new strains of the coronavirus.

“The fact that we now have 551 infected people per 100,000 inhabitants shows that the epidemic is subsiding. However, the sharp drop in cases that we are now seeing will probably be followed by stagnation, as was the case in neighbouring countries,” the director of the Public Health Institute, Milan Krek, said on Wednesday.

If new strains of the virus become predominant, and some of them are already present in Slovenia, then a third wave of the epidemic can be expected, the country's epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists warn.

Some of the epidemic development models developed by the Jožef Štefan Research Institute indicate that the British strain of the coronavirus might become prevalent in Europe in April.

In terms of vaccination, Krek said that Slovenia was better than all its neighbours. By Sunday, 70,000 people had received their first dose of vaccine and 48,000 had been vaccinated twice.

A total of 1,097 new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Slovenia in the last 24 hours after 5,115 PCR tests performed, and nearly 20,000 rapid antigen tests have also been carried out, but their results are yet to be confirmed by PCR tests.

Twelve COVID-19 patients have died, bringing the total death toll to 3,745.

Although the virus is still rather widespread among the population, the next easing of restrictions, including the suspension of a curfew, is expected in early March after the daily number of new cases drops to below 600 and the number of new hospitalisations to below 500.

Currently, the seven-day average of confirmed infections in a single day is 842, there are 648 COVID-19 patients in hospitals and the number of active cases has dropped to 11,639.