Updates: 11/21/2021 8:15 PM
Released: 21.11.2021, 19:48

Prague – The coronavirus epidemic in the Czech Republic accelerated significantly over the weekend. On Friday, the laboratories recorded a record number of new cases, almost 23,000. On Saturday, it fell on a maximum of one weekend. The so-called incidence number also rose to the highest value since the beginning of the epidemic. Long queues formed in front of some Prague vaccination centers on Saturday and Sunday. Anti-epidemic measures for the unvaccinated will be significantly tightened on Monday. From 1 December, the revaccination interval for the third dose will be reduced from six to five months for people aged 60 and over.

There were 22,945 confirmed covid cases on Friday, about 8,700 more than a week ago. On Saturday, there was an increase of 14,402 infected, the most on a day off since the epidemic began. There are almost 5,000 people with coronavirus in hospitals. The number of deaths with covid in the Czech Republic exceeded 32,000. There are 978 infected people per 100,000 inhabitants in the last seven days, so the incidence number has crossed the 900 mark for the first time. The worst situation is in Moravia and Silesia, for example in the Olomouc region, the incidence is almost 1,400.

Due to the rapidly deteriorating epidemic situation, the covid-19 tests will no longer be recognized as a covid certificate from Monday. When entering restaurants, hotels, service establishments or mass events, people will only have to prove themselves by a complete vaccination or proof of covidid in the last six months. It will continue testing in schools and regularly test unvaccinated employees in companies.

The tightening of epidemic measures has forced many people to be vaccinated. That is also why the waiting times in the Prague vaccination centers at the weekend were long. For example, people who came to the vaccination site in the main station lobby for the Janssen single-dose vaccine waited for several hours. There was also great interest in the Westfield Chodov shopping center, especially on Saturdays, people there had to count on at least an hour and a half. On the contrary, practically without waiting, those interested in vaccinations at the Congress Center in Vyšehrad were checked in this afternoon.

According to the chairman of the Association of Regions and the governor of South Bohemia, Martin Kuby (ODS), not enough general practitioners are involved in the vaccination. He said this today in a debate on Czech Television (ČT). According to him, some practitioners have not ordered a covid vaccine at all in the last month. Epidemiologist and former health minister Roman Prymula also believes that the capacity of practitioners is not used.

The chairman of the practitioners, Petr Šonka, told ČTK that doctors have only had the vaccine from Pfizer / BioNTech available in the Czech Republic since the beginning of November. According to Šonka, practitioners’ surgeries are now overwhelmed by patients with respiratory diseases, and many practitioners also take samples for PCR tests because the capacity of the test sites is not enough. Šonka stated that about 2,600 doctors who have their ID numbers are involved in vaccinations, out of a total of 4,100. He wants to contact doctors who do not vaccinate again and also wants to look for ways to motivate them with health insurance companies.

From 1 December, the revaccination interval for the third dose will be reduced from six months to five for people aged 60 and over. Andrej Babiš (YES) told the Prime Minister in his resignation. “We will try for other age groups as soon as possible,” he said. For many people, however, shortened deadlines do not mean a significant acceleration. People from the age of 60 could apply for vaccination from 23 April at the latest, so they would still be entitled to a booster dose at the beginning of December. So far, about 621,000 people have received the third dose in the Czech Republic.

In an interview with Blesk, the candidate for Minister of Health Vlastimil Válek (TOP 09) admitted that some will need a fourth dose of the vaccine. At the same time, he stated that everyone will probably have to be vaccinated for the third hour. According to him, compulsory vaccination can be ordered to certain professional organizations or chambers, if they so take care of it. However, he still refuses compulsory vaccination. The Ministry of Finance and the chairwoman of the ANO deputies, Alena Schillerová, have the same opinion. However, the measures would further reduce the unvaccinated, she told CNN Prima News.

In connection with the tightening of anti-epidemic measures, the government will approve COVID 2021 and COVID Uncovered Costs support programs. The condition for entering them will be a decrease in turnover by 30 percent. However, the state will provide entrepreneurs with less support than they were entitled to when it demands 50 percent sales. The Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček (YES) said this on Czech Television. The trade unions have also long called for the renewal of the Antivirus employment support program. According to Havlíček, there is no agreement in the government.

coronavirus vaccination