Czech Republic coronavirus updates, Nov. 6: 13,231 new cases, updated plan expected today

The Czech Republic reported 13,231 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, according to the latest data provided by the Czech Health Ministry this morning.

The number of new cases was about 2,500 less than the record-high number reported on Wednesday, and roughly the same amount as the previous Thursday.

Wednesday's tally came after 45,122 tests were performed, leading to a ratio of positive tests of 34.85%, which was also a new high. The number of tests performed on Thursday will be revealed later today.

Also today, Czech Health Minister Jan Blatný is expected to reveal a new plan for the potential easing or tightening of the country's current anti-COVID-19 measures for the coming weeks.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš stated that the plan could include details on the potential reopening of schools and businesses, but the record-high number of new COVID-19 cases reported on Wednesday might alter those intentions.

The number of COVID-19-related deaths in the Czech Republic since March has now reached 4,330, 207 more than yesterday's total. A total of 97 deaths have been attributed to Thursday, with an updated total of 194 on Wednesday and a record-high of 236 on Tuesday.

So far this week, there have been 726 COVID-19-related deaths.

Since March, the Czech Republic has now reported a total of just under 392,000 COVID-19 cases, the majority of which have come over the past month. Of those, there have been 214,272 recoveries, with 173,343 known active cases.

Over the past week, the number of new daily COVID-19 cases in the Czech Republic has been neither rising nor declining. An average of roughly 13,000 cases have been reported over each workday since last Monday.

There are currently 8,236 COVID-19 patients in Czech hospitals, with 1,200 of those in serious condition.

The Czech Health Information and Statistics (UZIS) has predicted that the number of patients requiring hospitalization will continue and peak next week, and has recommended that Blatný keep the current restrictions in force for at least the next two weeks.

The most-affected localities in the Czech Republic over the past two weeks continue to Pelhřimov, which has reported about 1,114 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past week, and Vsetín, with about 1,107 cases per 100,000 residents in that span.

Prague has reported the lowest number of COVID-19 patients per 100,000 residents over the past seven days, at about 360.

Over the past two weeks, the Czech Republic has been the second-most-affected state in the EU with about 1,594 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents trailing only Belgium (1,631 cases), according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Over that span, the Czech Republic leads Europe in COVID-19-related deaths per 100,000 people at 22.5, topping Belgium's 15.2.