Czech Republic reports 1,775 coronavirus cases after biggest daily rise in both tests and positives

Prague, March 26 (CTK) – Czechia had 1,775 confirmed coronavirus cases this morning, saw their number rise by 291 on Wednesday, which is the record high daily increase so far, according to the latest data on the Health Ministry’s website.

On the other hand, the Wednesday number of the people tested for the novel coronavirus was also record high, 4,098.

About 26,700 people have been tested in the Czech Republic, where the first cases of COVID-19 appeared on March 1.

Ten patients have recovered, six died.

At present, there are 34 patients with a severe course of the disease, Health Minister Adam Vojtech(for ANO) tweeted earlier this morning.

Before Wednesday, the steepest daily increase in the number of cases was 205 last Thursday, March 19. Experts say the 10.7-million country may see some 3,000 COVID-19 patients and in April their number may reach up to 15,000.

The most important thing is that the measures adopted so far have been effective in protecting old people, the most vulnerable group, who make up 17 percent of all COVID-19 cases in Czechia, experts said earlier this week.

The number of the daily testings has been rising by about 1,000 a day recently. It stayed below 2,000 last Saturday and also Sunday, while it reached 3,000 on Tuesday and 4,100 on Wednesday.

A total of 21,900 people are in quarantine in the country, their number being the highest in Prague and the Moravia-Silesia Region. The number of those quarantined has risen in all 14 regions in the past 24 hours, the Czech Social Security Administration (CSSZ) data show.

On Wednesday, three patients with COVID-19 died in the Czech Republic, all being old people with additional chronic health troubles.

One patient, a resident in Prague, died in Prague’s Bulovka hospital, another died while in home care in the Central Bohemian district of Kladno, and the third died in Prague’s Thomayer hospital, where the virus has been contracted by 13 senior patients at the follow-up care ward.

Last week, the ward’s three nurses were diagnosed with COVID-19.

As the most endangered group, seniors over 65 and disabled people over 50 see the 08:00-10:00 hours daily reserved for them to visit food stores and drugstores.

To combat the epidemic, the government has further restricted the free movement of people outdoors, where only two-member groups can move. People have also been told to keep at least a two-metre distance between each other, if possible.

The rules for those commuting to work in Germany and Austria have been toughened as of today.

Daily numbers of tested samples and the rise in the number of people who tested positive for coronavirus in the past week: