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Pavel Burian

September 17, 2020 Politics

Czech Republic coronavirus cases surge past 1,700 a day

Czech Republic coronavirus cases surge past 1,700 a day - Czech Points

New confirmed daily cases of COVID-19 in the Czech Republic set a new record today, passing 1,710. That is 417 more than at the same time on Wednesday when tests for the whole day finally confirmed coronavirus infection in 2139 people. This was the highest daily increase since the beginning of May, and at the same time, it was the first time that more than two thousand positive tests were added in one day. It follows from the data of the Ministry of Health as of today at 18:00.

More than half a year after the outbreak, the country has confirmed the virus in 42,739 people. There are currently 18,930 infected. There are now 413 hospitalized, which is 25 more than the previous day. There are 91 patients in a severe condition, ten more than on Wednesday. At the beginning of September, forty infected people needed intensive care. According to the Ministry of Health, hospitals can handle many times more patients with COVID-19 than now, even in severe cases. Patients with COVID currently account for 2.4 percent of intensive care units. Six casualties were also added to the statistics in the evening, of which three are deaths today. A total of 488 patients died with COVID.

The number of infected people also grew at a record level last week, when the daily increase exceeded the 1,000 for the first time. Since then, except for Sunday, more than a thousand confirmed diseases had increased daily. But more was tested. In August, the number of tests per day only exceeded 10,000, while last week, the laboratories performed more than 15,000 tests every day from Tuesday to Thursday, a record 19,000 on Friday. On Wednesday, they managed 17,890 subscriptions. According to Minister Adam Vojtěch (for YES), the laboratories’ capacity is 20,700 per day, and the target is 25,000.

According to the Institute of Health Information and Statistics (ÚZIS) director, Ladislav Dušek, the first sign of an improvement in the epidemic situation will be a reduction in the share of new cases in the number of tests. On Wednesday, this share reached almost 12 percent. The day before, it was less than ten percent, and on Monday, over six percent, while on weekends, this indicator was also around 11 percent.

The disease is now most prevalent in Prague and the adjacent Central Bohemian districts, but also in the Kroměříž, southern Plzeň, Uherské Hradiště, and Cheb regions. In Prague, hygienists have confirmed 180 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last seven days, followed by Kroměříž with 161 cases, and the districts of Prague-East, Prague-West, Beroun, and Uherské Hradiště have more than 150 infected per 100,000 inhabitants.

From September 10, due to the deteriorating epidemic situation, the obligation to wear a veil in buildings’ interior applies throughout the Czech Republic. Due to the growing number of infected and hospitalized, the state introduces further general measures from Friday. Indoor mass events for more than ten people will be banned. Exceptions are exhibitions, markets, and similar events. Pupils and teachers must also wear drapes in the classroom, except for primary school. Restaurants and bars throughout the country will remain closed between midnight and six o’clock in the morning.

People should follow basic hygiene rules under the acronym 3R – in addition to wearing veils, it is regular hand washing and keeping two-meter intervals. Vojtěch encouraged them to be considerate and to limit participation in larger events as much as possible. According to the ministry, the most common infection places are the family and the work environment, and attending social events, such as family celebrations and weddings, is also a risky activity. More than a fifth of recent cases have come from schools.