Coronavirus update, Oct. 7, 2021: Unvaccinated Czechs represent three-quarters of Covid hospitalizations

Czech pupils will undergo some further Covid testing this autumn, perhaps three rounds as in September, but the dates have not been specified yet, the Health Ministry announced. There are speculations that the testing might take place in late October around the autumn school holidays from Oct. 27 to 29. The Education Ministry said it has not received any details yet.

In September, the schools that decided to use antigen tests received them from the state. If they chose more precise PCR tests, they had to purchase them on their own and the Education Ministry subsidized them. Pupils and students underwent three Covid testing rounds in early September. Out of the nearly 3.2 million tests, 290 positive results occurred in elementary schools and 148 in secondary schools. As the coronavirus incidence was low then, the authorities decided not to pursue the blanket testing. However, the Covid daily figures have been on the increase recently.  

People who are not vaccinated now end up hospitalized with Covid-19 much more often than vaccinated people. Health Ministry data show that among those recently hospitalized for Covid, more than 75 percent are not vaccinated. Data also shows that Covid is spreading fastest among people under 20 years old, the age group that is least likely to be vaccinated. Smart Quarantine (Chytrá karanténa) tweeted the data. In the first chart, showing daily hospitalizations, unvaccinated people are in black, and vaccinated people are in yellow. The second chart shows the incidence per 100,000 people over seven days for different age groups.

Voters in quarantine or isolation over the coronavirus infection could cast their general election ballots in drive-in voting points today, but fewer people were doing so compared to the 2020 election into regional assemblies and one-third of the Senate. Czech regions report dozens up to hundreds of votes per region cast in drive-in points, regional authorities and Prague City Hall said. In total, there were 82 drive-in points across the Czech Republic. The votes delivered in drive-in boxes will be counted with regular votes on Saturday evening when the election is finished.

The ballots of the quarantined and isolated kicked off the general election of 2021. People who could not vote from their cars may ask by Thursday evening for a special mobile ballot box delivery.

Slovak security forces will protect the health staff against the opponents of the Covid vaccination, Interior Minister Roman Mikulec told journalists yesterday. Members of mobile vaccination teams as well as well-known epidemiologists have repeatedly faced protests and threats by the people who are against the administration of the vaccines against the disease.

Along with the police, the health personnel will be protected by soldiers and members of other law-enforcement bodies such as the prison, judiciary, and financial authorities in the most threatened localities.  The Slovak vaccination rate is about 41 percent, while the EU average is 63 percent.

Americans now want to travel more sparingly than before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Michaela Claudino, director of the CzechTourism’s foreign representation for the United States and Canada, said. Americans are now more interested in sustainable tourism. American companies will take this into account when choosing destinations. In the case of business trips, some companies may require green certificates showing environmental sustainability, for example, for hotels.  

There were 1,047 new Covid cases reported for Wednesday, up from 732 a week earlier but down from Tuesday’s 1,109. the number of people hospitalized with Covid increased to 299 from a revised 291 a day earlier. Last week, there were 251 people hospitalized. Currently, 60 people are in serious condition. Three deaths were reported for Wednesday, and previous figures were revised. The toll for October is now 17.

The incidence number of new cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days rose to 52, up from 49 a day earlier and 33 a week ago. The reproduction number R dropped slightly to 1.30 from 1.33 a day earlier. A week ago it was at 1.15. For Prague, the R number is at 1.17, and the incidence number is 68. The epidemic is worst in the Moravia-Silesia region, with an incidence number of 82.

Source: onemocneni-aktualne.mzcr.cz/covid-19