Czech Republic coronavirus updates, Dec. 1: slight increase in daily cases, shops to open soon

The Czech Republic continues to report low daily COVID-19 case numbers as the country is set to reopen shops and services later this week, according to the latest data provided by the Czech Health Ministry this morning.

The country reported 3,572 new cases on Monday, a slight spike from recent numbers. On Sunday, the country reported a record low number of new daily cases as well: 1,074 new cases.

However, the Czech Republic continues to conduct fewer and fewer tests, especially on weekends. On Sunday, the country conducted 6,319 tests, significantly fewer tests than during the week and far less than the usual number of tests performed during the weeks when the country experienced the peak of the second wave. The number of tests performed on Monday will be revealed tomorrow.

Since March, the Czech Republic has now reported a total of 523,298 COVID-19 cases, the majority of which were reported in September and October. Of those, there have been 451,607 recoveries, with 63,396 known active cases.

The number of patients in hospitals has been steadily decreasing as well. There are currently 4,504 COVID-19 patients in Czech hospitals, with 656 of those in serious condition.

The most-affected locality in the Czech Republic over the past two weeks continues to be Havlíčkův Brod, which has reported about 573 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past week.

The Czech Republic is no longer the most affected state in the EU; the country now ranks far below countries like Austria, Poland and Croatia, with about 559 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Luxembourg has the worst COVID-19 situation in the EU right now with more than 1,200 cases per 100,000 in the past 14 days; Croatia is not far behind.

However, the Czech Republic has a relatively high number of deaths per 100,000 in the past 14 days: 18 people.

The Health Ministry has announced a new plan to fight misinformation about COVID-19 and the pandemic, Czech Health Minister Jan Blatny (ANO) told journalists on Monday.

The Ministry will use CZK 50 million for an information campaign to combat what it claims is 'disinformation' regarding the COVID pandemic, lockdown measures and other related topics. The Health Ministry says it plans to inform the public on a regular basis about what it sees as the most frequent 'disinformation' regarding the coronavirus pandemic starting today, Blatny (ANO) told journalists.

If you live in Prague, look outside your window tonight: the Petrin Tower will light up tonight to thank medics struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic during the Light to Doctors event.