Health Minister: Czechia on the brink of another Covid epidemic wave

The Czech Republic is on the brink of another wave of the coronavirus epidemic, Health Minister Adam Vojtěch said on Tuesday. However, the situation is not dramatic and was expected with the return of children to schools in September and the return of society to normal after months of lockdown.

His words echoed a statement provided earlier in the day by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš who said that the government expects that the number of COVID-19 cases will continue to rise. The Czech Prime Minister said that possible new restrictions will be local in kind.

A total of 391 cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus were detected in Czech labs on Monday, according to data from the Ministry of Health. That is 150 cases more than on the previous Monday as well as the highest number of cases detected in one day since June 3.

The seven day incidence ratio has risen from 16 to 18 cases per 100,000 people. Meanwhile, the reproduction number – the average number of people infected by one person with the virus – rose from 1.26 to 1.36. A total of 82 patients required hospitalisation on Monday - the highest number since June 22.

Health experts have been expecting the coronavirus epidemic country to rise again during the autumn and with the return of children to schools in September. Both the state and representatives of the medical community are highlighting the need for more people to get vaccinated.