Coronavirus update, Sept. 20, 2021: Registration for third dose begins in the Czech Republic

Registration opens for the third vaccine dose in the Czech Republic

Revaccination begins in the Czech Republic from Monday. Those who have been fully vaccinated for eight months may register for a voluntary third dose. The almost 8,000 people who were among the first in the Czech Republic to have completed Covid-19 vaccination should be notified via SMS that they are eligible to receive a third dose. Most of these individuals will be health professionals or seniors who live in residential social care facilities. 

By the end of September, roughly 40,000 people who have received the second dose by the end of January 2021 will be entitled to another vaccine. This year, more than a million people will qualify for revaccination. More and more countries around the world are giving a third dose due to concerns about new coronavirus mutations and the gradual weakening of the protection provided by previous vaccinations. So far only the Moderna vaccine will be available in the Czech Republic.

Czech pediatricians overwhelmed with respiratory patients

Just a couple of weeks into the new school year, Czech pediatricians say they are overloaded with children who have respiratory infections. Experts say that distance learning may have led to weakened immunity, particularly in smaller children. Ilona Hülleová, chairwoman of the Association of General Practitioners for Children and Adolescents of the Czech Republic said that parents who before would have sent their children to school with a mild cold, are now taking them to the doctor. 

A new recommended procedure for the care of patients with Covid-19 symptoms now applies to general practitioners. Patients with symptoms should be given an antigen test administered by their general practitioner or an outpatient specialist to confirm the diagnosis. 

Many Covid regulations being forgotten or ignored

A Seznam Zprávy investigation has found that measures surrounding respirators, maximum table capacity, limits on the number of people inside shops, and mandatory testing are, in many locations visited by reporters, not being followed by the public or enforced by authorities and business owners.

In addition, many of the individuals polled said they are actually uncertain about which measures actually apply and where those measures can be found. Despite the fact that the number of infected people has been growing in recent weeks, the rules are seemingly not enforced by authorities, event organizers, or companies, the report revealed. A long-term "Life during the Pandemic" survey cited by the publication also found that respirator use among Czechs has begun to decline.

Vyšehrad vaccination center reopens Monday

The vaccination center at Congress Center in Prague's Vyšehrad district will resume operations. From Monday, Sept. 20, the center will be run by the joint-stock company Medicon, which has been involved in the operation of the center since its establishment by the Prague City Hall in April. Prague closed its Metropolitan Vaccination Center on Friday. Vaccination under the banner of the new operator will be on a smaller scale, said Prague spokesman Vít Hofman.

The capital began operating the Metropolitan Vaccination Center on April 6 and ended on Sept. 17. During that time, according to Prague Councilor for Social Policy and Healthcare Milena Johnová (Prague Sobě), medics administered about 200,000 vaccines. An estimated 0.764 million out of 1.14 million Praguers have received at least one dose of vaccination. 2.14 million doses of vaccine have been given out at vaccination sites in the capital to date.

R number rose slightly through the weekend

According to data from the Ministry of Health website, tests on Sunday detected 182 cases of coronavirus, 46 more than a week ago. There were 147 people hospitalized with Covid at the end of the weekend, less than on weekdays last week, but 19 more than last Sunday. The number of those infected with a serious condition has been around thirty in recent days. The reproduction number rose slightly from 1.11 to 1.14. On Sunday, laboratories performed 7,289 PCR tests and 26,142 antigen tests.

 The most infected region in the country remains the Opava region; in the last seven days, 146 people there have tested positive for Covid-19, which is 83 infected per hundred thousand inhabitants. The incidence number is still the highest in Prague, where the infection rate has increased to 48 cases per hundred thousand inhabitants. 

On the contrary, the Liberec region has the fewest number of infections per capita, with only 11 infected people 100,000 inhabitants in the past seven days. Of neighboring countries, Austria still has the most cases of Covid per capita, while the Czech Republic is in fourth place in the region.

Latest Covid-19 data from the Czech Ministry of Health (Sept. 20, 2021)

Source: onemocneni-aktualne.mzcr.cz/covid-19