Czech infections hit new record high, president going home

Coronavirus infections in the Czech Republic have jumped to a new record high in a surge that hit the country’s president and delayed the appointment of the new prime minister

PRAGUE -- Coronavirus infections in the Czech Republic jumped to a new record high Friday, a surge that hit the country's president and delayed the appointment of the new prime minister.

The Health Ministry said the daily tally of new cases hit 27,717 the previous day. That’s almost 2,000 more than the previous record, set on Tuesday.

The country’s infection rate has risen to a new record high of 1,231 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past seven days.

Meanwhile, Czech President Milos Zeman will be discharged from Prague's military hospital on Saturday. A day earlier, he had been discharged following more than a month's treatment for an unspecified illness but was readmitted only hours later after testing positive for COVID-19. The president received monoclonal antibodies and has no symptoms of COVID-19, the hospital said.