News digest: Vaccination with AstraZeneca halted for now.

Justice minister survives ousting attempt

Justice Minister Maria Kolikova (Za Ludi) will remain at her post for now.

51 out of 117 MPs present supported the proposal to oust her, submitted by the opposition. 63 MPs were against, two abstained and one did not vote at all.

Kolikova has been clearly supported by Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), Sme Rodina and Za Ludi. Some MPs of the biggest coalition party, the Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OLaNO), firstly said that she had not explained some suspicions related to the rental of the Justice Ministry's building. In the end, only one OLaNO MP voted for her removal.

Kolikova said that she felt the support of the government, though PM Eduard Heger (OLaNO) did not support her publicly.

OLaNO MPs have not said whether they will take more steps against her, and only claimed that they want to talk with her during the caucus meeting.

Maria Kolikova has survived an attempt to oust her

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Administration of AstraZeneca halted in Slovakia

Vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine has been suspended for now, after the State Institute for Drug Control (A UKL) said that the death of a 47-year-old woman was probably related to blood clots, a rare side effect of AstraZeneca.

This means that for now, people awaiting their first vaccine jab in the online waiting room will not be administered AstraZeneca. The Health Ministry is currently considering the possibilities, and will announce its decision soon.

AstraZeneca will be administered only to people who have already received the first jab.

AstraZeneca vaccination has been suspended

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More coronavirus and vaccination news

350 PCR tests out of 7,995 carried out on May 10 came back positive (4.38), and of 97,562 antigen tests, 363 were positive (0.37 percent). 26 more people died of Covid, increasing the total number to 12,077.

Pregnant women will be given preference in the list of stand-ins for the Covid vaccination in the Bratislava Region, together with people suffering from chronic diseases and blood donors. Pregnant women in the second or third trimesters will be administered the mRNA vaccine.

Belgium has listed Slovakia as an orange country, meaning that incomers from Slovakia will not have to submit a 72-hour negative Covid test, self-isolate or undergo another testing. Still, they must complete the Health Passenger Locator Form after their arrival to the country.

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