Czech study shows very low COVID-19 incidence in population

A Czech "collective immunity study" testing the presence of COVID-19 antibodies in people without symptoms has shown a very low incidence of the disease, health authorities said on Wednesday.

Czechs tested 26,549 people, some selected and some at random, in four localities using antibody tests and found 107 new cases within the study that ended on May 1.

"We detected 107 people with a positive test for COVID-19 antibodies, which means the degree of immunisation is very low," Ladislav Dusek, head of the Czech Institute of Health Information and Statistics, told reporters.

"Even in the most affected localities, it does not exceed five percent," he added.

The Czech Republic, an EU member of 10.7 million people, registered 7,899 confirmed cases of the virus on Wednesday morning, including 4,017 cured patients and 258 deaths.

"The number of newly diagnosed patients with COVID-19 is falling steadily," said Dusek, adding he expected a further slowdown.

Just like other European countries, the Czech Republic is easing its anti-virus measures taken in mid-March.

On May 11, it expects to open schools for some students, enable international road and rail transport and extend the cap on public events to 100 people.

© 2020 AFP