Czech coronavirus cases soar to highest single-day total

There have been 456 cases of COVID-19 in the Czech Republic tonight, which is more than most of those infected in a full day. This follows from data as of 18:00 on the Ministry of Health’s website today. The increase in cases has never been so high. It will most likely be necessary to take further measures against coronavirus, especially in Prague, the Minister of Health Adam Vojtěch said.

So far, the highest increase in confirmed cases in 24 hours since the beginning of the epidemic in the Czech Republic in March was recorded this week on Tuesday, when 504 more infected people were born. The increase in cases on August 21 was over five hundred. Even then, however, at 18:00, there were not as many new cases as at the same time today. On Tuesday, September 1, there were 214 newly infected by evening, and on August 21, at 6:00 pm, there were 343.

Infection rates have repeatedly been high in recent days. From the beginning of April to the end of June, the daily increases in cases were mostly below two hundred. Until the beginning of August, they remained below three hundred. However, in the last three weeks, there have been three increases of about five hundred in 24 hours.

According to Minister Vojtěch, the growth trend in the number of infected people in the Czech Republic is similar to that in other countries and was expected. “Most likely, we will have to take some other measures, especially in Prague, because the situation is simply still the worst in Prague in terms of the number of infected, or rather the increase,” the minister told CT. The measures will be discussed with the Prague hygienists. “There may be an extension of the obligation to wear veils or some other measures of a preventive nature,” he added.

Last week, according to the ministry, the share of new cases in the number of tests performed also increased significantly. It reached about seven percent on Sunday, making it the largest since early July. On Monday, the share of cases in the number of tests dropped to 2.8 percent, but it jumped again to 4.6 percent on Tuesday.

Over the past month, there has been a significant increase in the number of people who have ended up with COVID-19 in hospital. From the beginning of August to the beginning of September, the number of hospitalized rose by almost half to 172. The number of those infected in a severe condition more than doubled in a month to the current 40 seriously ill.

However, only a small proportion of people currently suffering from COVID-19 are in hospitals. The number of presently ill patients, with confirmed cases of COVID-19 after deducting the cured and deceased, exceeds \ 6,800 presently, making it the highest since the beginning of the epidemic. Thus, only 2.6 percent of patients are now in hospitals. For example, at the turn of April and May, the share of hospitalized out of the total number of patients was around ten percent.

There have been 25,579 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Czech Republic since the first infection occurred on March 1. Almost three-quarters of those infected have already recovered from the disease, and 425 people have died.