New COVID 19 variants added to Europe, states take measures

The region, which includes countries such as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, began to hit heavily when the second wave of infection spread across the old continent.

New restrictions were announced Friday in Prague, while the number of patients COVID-19 in Slovakia has reached a new record.

Czech Republic

The government tightened the measures Friday after an increase in the British version, which is up to 70% more transmitted.

A planned reopening of non-needed shops, the week has been postponed for next week, while using textile masks in places where large numbers are collected, including shops, hospitals and public transportation, are no longer allowed. Instead, medical masks, safety breathing, or two surgical masks will be required.

Some Czech hospitals have been in a critical situation and have to transport COVID-19 patients to other clinics throughout the country. The number of patients needing intensive care was in a high record, over 1,200 this week, Euronews.al reports.

The three most hit counties, on the border with Germany and Poland, are under a complete deadlock. The number of new infections for 100,000 residents in the past seven days has around 1,000.

The government will discuss this weekend whether to extend full deadlock to more counties. It is also planning that COVID-19 tests are mandatory for all employees who do not work from their homes.

Hungary

In Hungary, where a steady decline in daily infections and deaths from December changed course earlier this month, there is now fear of a new increase even when the country began receiving shipments of Russian and Chinese vaccines.

“We are clearly in the sticky phase of the third wave,” said Chief of Medicine Cecilia Mueller at a press conference Friday.

Limitations in the country include a night-long curfew, public gatherings are prohibited, family events are limited to 10 people, and public masks are mandatory in public urban locations.

Poland

Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said Friday that the country “is again entering a crisis situation”.

He discovered that the first case of South Africa's version had been confirmed in Poland. It also found that 10 per cent of all cases now include the British version.

“Responsible behavior is essential”, he said.

More than 1.5 million cases have been confirmed since the beginning of the blast.

Slovakia

This week, Slovakia became the most deadly country by COVID-19 for the largest population in the world amid an increase in the British version.

The number of patients with COVID-19 in Slovakia's hospitals reached a new record high of 3,900 on Thursday, a situation that has prompted leaders to appeal for help from abroad. So far, Austria, Poland and Hungary have agreed to deploy medical staff in Slovakia.

In the week ending on February 7th, the country's seven-day genocide rate stood in 519 cases for 100,000 people.