Slovenia’s top officials receive AstraZeneca jab

Slovenian president Borut Pahor received his coronavirus vaccination on Friday in a bid to encourage the public to "trust science" and disperse concerns over the vaccine.

"I did it because I want to contribute to the end of the epidemic as soon as possible," he said speaking to reporters in Ljubljana.

He received the vaccine along with the country's Prime Minister Janes Jansa and other senior officials.

Slovenia reversed its suspension of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines after the European Medicines Agency declared the shots are safe.

Vaccinations had been halted earlier this week following reports of blood clotting in some people who received the shots.

The Alpine state of 2 million people has recently seen a surge in new coronavirus cases and deaths despite strict lockdown measures and a relatively successful vaccination campaign when compared to some other European Union states.