Czech Republic coronavirus updates, October 15: new record with 9,544 cases Wednesday

The Czech Republic reported 9,544 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, according to the latest data published by the Czech Health Ministry this morning.

The daily rise in new COVID-19 cases yesterday has set a new record, and is nearly 1,000 more than the previous high of 8,617 set last Friday.

Over the past two weeks, the Czech Republic leads all of Europe both in the number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents (581) and the number of COVID-19-related deaths per 100,000 residents (4.4) according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

There are currently 77,217 known active COVID-19 cases in the Czech Republic. Since the beginning of the epidemic in March, there have been a total of 139,290 COVID-19 cases reported in the country; roughly half of those cases have been reported over the past two weeks.

The number of hospitalized patients is also sharply rising, and now stands at 2,678. A total of 518 of those are considered to be in serious condition.

There were 35 COVID-19-related deaths reported on Wednesday, bringing the total number since March to 1,172. There have been more than 25 COVID-19-related deaths reported each day over the past ten days, after reaching previous highs in the mid-teens in April.

Over the past two weeks, there have been more than 500 COVID-19-related deaths in the Czech Republic, more than double the toll in all of September.

The statistics include anyone diagnosed with COVID-19 who later passes away as a COVID-19-related death, regardless of other primary or contributing factors.

Yesterday, a new wave of anti-coronavirus measures took effect in the Czech Republic under the country's current state of emergency, set to last through November 3.

The new measures include the closure of all restaurants, bars, and clubs, a limit on public gatherings to a maximum of six people, and a ban on consuming alcohol in public places.

From Monday, all cinemas, theaters, concert halls, and other venues providing cultural and leisure activities have also been closed. Gyms and pools have been closed since last Friday.

Schools throughout the country have also switched to distance learning, with the exception of kindergartens. Czech Health Minister Roman Prymula has stated that schools will reopen on November 1, though Education Minister Robert Plaga has said that the closure may be extended past that date based on the trend in new COVID-19 cases in the country.

Prymula has agreed with Czech hospital directors to limit the number of planned surgeries and treatments if possible, reserving additional beds for COVID-19 patients; this could double the total number of beds available in the country for them.

The Health Minister has also negotiated with Germany on providing additional beds for Czech COVID-19 patients if needed.

The rate in COVID-19 cases is rising across the entire country, with each of the Czech Republic's districts reporting more than 100 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents over the past seven days.

Uherské Hradiště continues to report the highest rate of cases, at about 616 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents over the past seven days. Plzeň (539 new cases), Žďár nad Sázavou (537), Příbram (520), and Liberec (506) have also reported more than 500 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents over the past week.

Prague has reported about 417 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents over the past seven days.