In the past week, we have witnessed a gradual increase in acute respiratory illnesses and flu cases. According to the Hygiene Service, there are currently 1,292 sick people per 100,000 population; however, it’s not yet considered an epidemic. In contrast, new COVID cases in the last week appear to have plateaued.
The number of acute respiratory illness cases rose by six percent weekly, while flu cases increased by two percent. Hygienists state these figures align with the “usual trend of the start of the year.”
The youngest children, up to five years old, are the most affected group. Other age groups have been significantly less affected.
The situation varies across regions. While the Liberec region saw an increase in illness according to regional hygienists’ data, Prague recorded a decrease.
The number of newly confirmed COVID cases in the past week ranged in the hundreds, totaling 2,232 infected for the whole week. These figures were typical daily increases during December.
Jan Pačes from the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences noted a few days ago that higher COVID-19 infections can be expected in February or March. This is because the autumn or winter peak of the epidemic occurred between Christmas and New Year.