Czechia and Slovakia report the highest daily increases in COVID-19 cases per capita, while Austria, Hungary, and Poland are better off, said Slovak Minister of Health Marek Krajčí regarding five Central European countries.
“In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the curve has rounded up and tends to grow, which is not good news,“ commented the Slovak health minister on the development of the epidemic situation in Central Europe.
According to the analysis of the Slovak Ministry of Health, Czechia recorded the most new cases of infection per day in the previous two weeks per 100,000 inhabitants, specifically 910. Slovakia came in second with 410.
In contrast, Hungary, Poland, and Austria had from 178 to 213 new cases of coronavirus per 100,000 population.
Krajčí said that the government of Prime Minister Igor Matovič should deal with how to control people who come to the country from abroad. For example, when traveling from the Czech Republic to Slovakia, people have to register electronically, with a few exceptions, and if they do not have a coronavirus test, they should be quarantined and subsequently pass the test. However, Slovakia does not carry out general controls at its borders with its EU neighbors.
The Slovak minister confirmed the previously announced change in the country’s vaccination plan. As of the coming weekend, 40,000 full-time teachers will be vaccinated against COVID-19, providing full-time teaching in schools, as well as staff for so-called critical infrastructure. The current rules provided that after health workers or clients and employees of nursing homes, residents would be vaccinated according to age, with preference given to the older generation. From March, the country plans to open mass vaccination centers, where people will be vaccinated with a vaccine from AstraZeneca.
Title image: Medical workers examine the rapid antigen tests for the coronavirus in Prague, Czech Republic, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. The voluntary testing that is free of charge has started on Wednesday at hundreds of sites across the country and will last till Jan 15. The Czech Republic has been facing a rise in new coronavirus infections in December. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
