Coronavirus vaccination plan revealed for Czech Republic: online registration to start in February

People from priority groups should have the COVID vaccine in March at the latest, with registration open to all from Feb. 1, the Minister of Health confirmed today.

Jan Blatný (for YES) told a press conference that the priority group, totaling around 600,000 people includes healthcare professionals caring for COVID patients and people over the age of 80. The reservation system for vaccination against COVID-19 will be launched for people over the age of 80 on Jan. 15.

Subsequently, the next priority groups will include general practitioners and pediatricians, soldiers involved in the fight against COVID-19, and workers in the integrated rescue system.

According to the minister, the speed of vaccination will be influenced primarily by how quickly vaccines from manufacturers will be delivered to the Czech Republic. 

After the central reservation system is launched in February, people who do not belong to the priority groups will be able to register. According to the minister, they will be included in the system, but they will be given a slot only after people from priority groups have been vaccinated. 

In the event that an applicant requests priority, he will have to prove at registration that he is entitled to it. The age will be verified according to ID cards, employment with, for example, critical infrastructure workers according to the service card or certificate, and health status at general practitioners. 

Younger people without any health problems could get the COVID-19 vaccine at the turn of spring or in the summer.

The desired part of the population, around five million people, could be vaccinated by the end of the summer, Blatný added.

The Ministry of Health plans to publish data on vaccinations once a week on Thursdays.

Vaccinated citizens will receive a certificate as a confirmation, which they will be able to use in the future, for example, for trips abroad instead of a negative test, Blatný said at the press conference.

Meanwhile, the calculation of the PES system will change with a new measure looking at the share of those hospitalized over COVID-19 whose infection had been undetected by a test or tracing before.

The new calculation method will be applied as of Wednesday. The ministry will release the adjusted tables with restrictions next week.