Czech Republic coronavirus updates, August 13: 292 new cases, experts say virus is weakening

There were 292 new COVID-19 cases reported in the Czech Republic yesterday, according to the latest stats published by the Czech Health Ministry this morning.

Since the beginning of the outbreak in March, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the Czech Republic has now exceeded 19,000, standing at 19,075 this morning.

There have been 13,407 confirmed recoveries and 391 COVID-19-related deaths in that span, leaving a record-high 5,277 known active cases.

This week, there has been a slight increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases reported in Prague, which now stands at about 28 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past seven days.

Frýdek-Místek, with 52 new cases per 100,000 residents in the past week, and Klatovy, with about 40 new cases per 100,000 residents, continue to be the most-affected districts in the Czech Republic. Both areas have seen a decrease in the rate of new cases this week, however.

After reaching a high of 437 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in April, the Czech Republic has seen that number level off to around 100 over the past three months. Currently, there are 131 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the Czech Republic, with 24 of those patients considered to be in serious condition.

Epidemiologist Roman Prymula, one of the most prominent figures during the outbreak in the Czech Republic, agrees that the virus has changed. Jiří Beneš, an infectious disease specialist at Prague’s Bulovka Hospital, says that while COVID-19 is here to stay, we will get used to it.