Czech COVID-19 risk index remains at 90 as 52.5% of tests come back positive

The The Czech Republic's PES COVID-19 risk index has remained at 90 for the second day in a row, according to data from the Health Ministry released this morning.

The figure is the highest yet reported in the country, and corresponds to the fifth and highest alert level. The Czech Republic has been within the fifth level for four days in a row.

COVID-19 tests confirmed 3,441 new cases in the Czech Republic on January 1, which was about 400 more than on December 26, the last holiday in 2020.

A record-high 52.5% of the 6,553 tests performed on Friday returned positive results.

Fewer tests are made during the weekend and on holidays than on weekdays. The number of tests performed on Friday was the fewest since December 6.

According to the latest data from the Health Ministry, the number of COVID-19-related deaths in the country rose by 116, for a total of 11,827. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients dropped by 300 to 5,777 on Friday.

The PES index is within the fifth level in all Czech regions. The worst situation is in the Central Bohemia and Pardubice regions, with 95 points in each.

According to the latest data, the reproduction (R) number has slightly risen from 1.44 to 1.45. The R number represents the average number of people one COVID-19 patient will infect.

On the contrary, the number of new confirmed cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the past 14 days has dropped by 50 to 1,090. The spread of the infection among the elderly has slowed down, too. Over the past two weeks, there were 896 new infections among people aged over 65 per 100,000 inhabitants, which was about 30 fewer than the day before.

The Health Ministry has been releasing the PES index daily since early October. The PES index was previously highest (89 points) for two days in late October.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the index was at 80 points. Its rise by ten points was caused by a rise in the reproduction number. The highest risk level, which dictates the tightest restrictions, is from 76 to 100 points.

The current anti-coronavirus measures in the country correspond to the fifth level. They will be in force through at least January 10, based on a government decision.

All restaurants and most shops and services are closed. A maximum of two people outside the same household may gather, and a night curfew is valid between 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.