Czech Republic coronavirus updates, Nov. 18: 4,246 new cases yesterday, death toll at 6,558

The Czech Health Ministry confirmed 4,246 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, 1,163 fewer than the day before.

As of yesterday, the Covid-19 death toll in the Czech Republic reached 6,558, with the number of those in hospital reaching 6,868, and according to current data, 1,008 of those are in serious condition. Over the weekend, when less testing is conducted, positive cases dropped from 26 percent on Saturday to 21 percent on Sunday.

Since the epidemic outbreak in March, there have been 469,769 confirmed Covid-19 cases, with 353,794 recovering. Most of those infected have mild symptoms of the disease.

According to experts, the pandemic spread has slowed down in the Czech Republic over the past week, as the numbers of positive tests continue to fall week-on-week. At the same time, the number of tests performed has also dropped.

However, the number of Covid-19-related deaths keeps rising. Since the beginning of November, almost 3,000 patients with the novel coronavirus have died, more than during the whole month of October. The record daily death toll reached 252 on November 3. Last week, there were on average 130 to 200 deaths per day.

The virus is still spreading the fastest in the Vysocina region of south Bohemia and Moravia, where two of its five districts are the most affected in the country. In the Havlickuv Brod district, there were 729 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the past seven days, followed by the Pelhrimov district with 698. More than 600 new infections per 100,000 were also in the Chrudim district, east Bohemia.

Prague and the Prague-West district continue to show the fewest cases in the country with some 186 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 in the past week.

On Monday, the Health Ministry began using the new five-level risk assessment system (PES) in the Czech Republic, under which anti-coronavirus restrictions will be regulated according to the corresponding risk level.

Currently, the PES level is at 70, which corresponds to 'level four' and if it remains so today, the Health Ministry will propose that the government ease lockdown measures, most likely to go into effect on Monday.