Czech Health Minister: "We have the coronavirus pandemic under control"

Prague, April 15 (CTK) – The Czech Republic still has the coronavirus under control as it has managed to prevent the uncontrolled spread of the COVID-19 disease and the healthcare system controls the care for the infected, including serious cases, Health Minister Adam Vojtěch told journalists today.

Thanks to this, the government can gradually loosen a part of the lockdown measures in the weeks to come. The healthcare can renew routine care and postponed surgeries, Vojtěch (for ANO) said.

However, the development of the epidemic in the next two weeks will be vital, he added.

A more efficient fight against the illness is planned by the smart quarantine that will be fully set in motion on May 1, Deputy Health Minister Roman Prymula said.

“We should not be lulled into a sense of false security,” Vojtěch said, adding that in the past Easter, there were considerably fewer tests than on other days.

“We have the pandemic under control, we have prevented its uncontrolled spread, this is still true. In this direction, the situation is positive,” Vojtěch said.

It is crucial when the pandemic is controlled that hospitals are coping well with the COVID-19 patients and the number of hospitalised persons remains steady, he added.

So far, 6,151 have been reported infected, 163 patients have died and 672 have been cured in the Czech Republic.

In hospitals, there were over 400 patients with COVID-19, 82 of whom demanded intensive care on Tuesday.

Prymula warned that there was still no efficient treatment of or vaccine against the disease.

By means of modern technologies, such as data from cell phones and payment cards, the smart quarantine is to enable a rapid detection of the people who may be potentially infected with the virus.

After the ongoing pilot operation in some regions is finished, the system will be fully launched across the Czech Republic as of May, Prymula said.

Experts say the system is to gradually replace across-the-board restrictive measures.