The Czech Republic is witnessing the spread of the most infectious variant of COVID-19. As a result, Health Minister Vlastimil Válek has once again called on elderly and chronically ill citizens to get vaccinated. The number of infected individuals is starting to rise again and is expected to increase further in the coming weeks. According to the National Institute for Health, the rise of this case was not unexpected.
Válek urged citizens, especially those who are elderly, overweight, or have comorbidities such as heart diseases, to get vaccinated. He emphasized that vaccination significantly reduces the risk of severe disease progression. Although it doesn’t prevendoesn’tiduals from getting infected or catching the virus, the risk of infection is very high with the current COVID-19 variant.
At present, approximately 380 people with COVID-19 are hospitalized, 31 of whom are in the intensive care unit (ICU). The Health Ministry’s DepMinistry’ser, Josef Pavlovic, stressed that infection is not the primary reason for their hospitalization. COVID-19 was discovered incidentally while treating these patients for other health issues.
Infectious disease expert and National Institute for Pandemic Control (NIZP) member Pavel Dlouhý shared that mainly frail seniors end up in hospitals. In combination with other health issues, COVID-19 significantly exacerbates their condition, leading to a collapse that requires hospitalization.
The ministry is not considering any restrictive measures at the moment. Instead, they recommend enhancing hygiene and personal protection measures, such as wearing respirators in public transport, shops, or hospitals. They also advise eating more fruits and vegetables and washing hands regularly.