Czech Republic reports 21,973 new COVID-19 cases

The daily increase in coronavirus cases in the Czech Republic decreased week-on-week. On Tuesday, tests revealed 21,973 infected, about 3,900 less than a week ago. Even so, it is the fifth highest increase since the beginning of the epidemic. The numbers hospitalized with covid remain above 6,000, on Tuesday the Ministry of Health registered 6,527 patients with covid-19 in hospitals, and 1,069 of them were in a serious condition. This follows from data on the website of the Ministry of Health. The reproduction number fell below one for the first time since the end of August, indicating a slowdown in the epidemic. It is currently at 0.97.

For the first time in two months , statistics recorded a week-on-week decline in the daily number of new cases on Friday and Saturday, when the decline was about a tenth. On Sunday and Monday, the increases were again higher than on the same days a week ago.

The number of people hospitalized with covid has remained above 6,000 since last Tuesday. Compared to Monday, their number has dropped by less than 300, but in a week-on-week comparison, hospital care requires about 400 more infected. More than a thousand patients have been in a difficult condition since Monday, 855 a week ago.

The reproductive number, which indicates how many people infect one who tested positive, has fallen below one for the first time since the end of August, indicating a slowdown in the epidemic. It is currently 0.97, spokesman for the Ministry of Health Daniel Köppl told ČTK. In a daily statistics report, the ministry said some data for Tuesday indicated a slowdown in the growth of the viral load in the population.

“Although the viral load is still at very high levels, a number of indicators point to a slowdown in the growth of viral load in the population (relative positivity of tests, number and proportion of symptomatic infections, direct income infected to hospitals without prior diagnosis, etc.). stagnation and oscillation at the peak, not yet a significant decrease in load, “the report said.

The weekly incidence has decreased today, there are 1193 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last seven days, the previous day was 1230. The Olomouc region with a weekly incidence of 1621 and the Zlín region remain the most affected, with 1565 cases per 100,000 people per week, followed by the South Moravian region with an incidence 1406 and Moravskoslezský in terms of 1378 cases. The situation is relatively the best in the Karlovy Vary region with 464 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Apart from the Vysočina, Hradec Králové and Liberec regions, the incidence has decreased today in all regions.

Laboratories performed about 123,000 tests on Tuesday, about 10,000 less than a week ago. However, the data on the performed tests from the previous day are reflected in the statistics with a delay. According to interim statistics, the share of positive samples in the case of preventive tests fell to 8.74 percent in a week-on-week comparison on Tuesday, a week earlier it was over ten percent. In the so-called diagnostic indication, when people showing symptoms are tested, the positivity stagnated between 38 and 39 percent. In the epidemiological indication, where people are tested for contact with the infected, tests confirmed the infection in 17.22 percent of people, which is 1.65 percentage points less than a week ago.

According to experts, vaccination is a chance to alleviate the onslaught of those infected. To date, healthcare professionals have administered over 13.5 million doses of vaccine. On Tuesday, their number increased by 66,933, which is about 10,000 more than on the same day of the previous week. Over 11,600 people came to be vaccinated with the first dose on Tuesday, less than 47,000 received the third booster dose, the rest the second dose.

The new coronavirus in the Czech Republic has demonstrably infected more than 2.17 million people since last March, with 33,186 dying. In the autumn, the number of deaths began to rise again, on November 18, the number of victims climbed above one hundred for the first time since April, and since then, about a hundred patients have died with covid every day.