Czech Republic reports 1,497 coronavirus cases, second-highest daily rise at 185

Prague, March 25 (CTK) – The Czech Republic has 1,497 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, their number increasing by 185 on Tuesday, ten people have recovered and three patients died so far, according to the latest data on the Health Ministry’s website.

Tuesday’s increase in the number of new cases is the second highest since March 1, when the first three cases appeared in Czechia. On the other hand, however, Czech laboratories tested the highest ever number of people on Tuesday, almost 3,000.

A total of 22,600 people have been tested for the new coronavirus in the country so far.

Since the epidemic outbreak, Czechia saw the highest daily increase in the coronavirus cases on Thursday, March 19, when 205 new cases were confirmed. The increases have been lower since.

Experts say that the country may have up to 3,000 coronavirus patients by the end of March and that their overall number may later reach up to 15,000. They say the crucial task for the health care system is to protect the most vulnerable groups of people, which are seniors and ill people, and thereby avert a horrible scenario similar to those in Italy and Spain.

On Tuesday, the ministry reported the death of two patients and the recovery of another three.

Both deceased patients, like the first one who died on Sunday, suffered from other health troubles in addition to COVID-19.

The latest victim is a woman born 1949, who stayed in Prague’s General Teaching Hospital (VFN) with a lung disease from March 22. Earlier on Tuesday, a 45-year-old man died in the hospital in Havirov, north Moravia, whose vital organs were failing due to his tumorous disease.

The first victim, a man aged 95, died in Prague’s Bulovka hospital on Sunday evening.

Health Minister Adam Vojtech (for ANO) wrote that about 20 people are staying in Czech hospitals in a serious condition now. One patient in the VFN is connected to blood oxygenation. On Tuesday, doctors started to give him Remdesivir, an experimental anti-coronavirus medicine supplied from the USA.

The state of emergency has been in effect in the Czech Republic, free movement of people, sport and cultural activities have been restricted and schools closed over the coronavirus. People are allowed to go out only with their nose and mouth covered with a face mask, shawl or scarf.