When it comes to deaths per crown virus per capita, the Czech Republic is one of the highest in the world. According to official statistics from the country’s Ministry of Health, nearly 28,000 people died of COVID-19 at the end of March – and more than a hundred have died every day since then.
But the picture is probably even worse. “Based on scientific estimates, the actual number of victims is at least a third higher,” said Jan Konvalinka, vice-rector of Charles University in Prague.
At the same time, the country has a relatively good health care system, an economy that performs close to the EU average, low social inequality and the second highest standard of living among former Soviet bloc countries. How then does this correspond to the high COVID-19 mortality rate?
Most Czech experts and analysts blame the populist government, led by oligarch Andrej Babis, for the country’s catastrophic pandemic record. “In situations where other countries have announced exclusions, the Czech Republic has eased restrictions. This happened after the summer holidays, as well as before Christmas. And now the government is considering it again,” said Vaclav Horejsi, an immunologist from the Czech Republic. Academy of Sciences (CAS), on Czech television.
Other probable reasons for the high COVID-19 mortality rate are the poor application of existing coronavirus restrictions, insufficient infection detection, lack of testing – and increasingly the faster transmission of the highly contagious and deadly British variant of the virus.
Czechs are by far the world’s largest beer drinkers, and they drink even more during the coronavirus crisis
Czech ‘leading’ consumers of alcohol, marijuana and cigarettes
Experts believe that a generally unhealthy lifestyle led by many Czechs is also a contributing factor: the Czech Republic leads the world in the consumption of beer per capita – with Czechs dropping nearly 200 liters (53 liters) annually; is the European “market leader” for marijuana use among young people; and “lead” the EU into smokers per capita.
With about 57% of women and 71% of men overweight in the Czech Republic, the country also leads the EU in the category. And the health consequences of widespread obesity became clear during the coronavirus pandemic: scientific research cited by the World Obesity Federation (WOF) drew a clear link between obesity and the threat of obesity after the first few months of the pandemic. to die from diseases such as COVID- 19.
Eight out of ten Czech COVID-19 patients are overweight
“We were shocked to see such a high link between the country’s percentage of overweight adults and its death from COVID-19,” Tim Lobstein, lead author of the report, told the British daily. The guardian.
“The link between COVID-19 obesity and mortality is clear and compelling,” agreed World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Doctors in the Czech Republic also tried to warn the population about the dangers of being overweight or obese with COVID-19. “Unfortunately, the Czech Republic is one of the record holders of obesity in Europe,” said Ladislav Dusek, director of the Institute of Health Information and Statistics in the Czech Republic (IHIS CR). As many as ‘80% of COVID patients admitted to hospital are obese or overweight ‘, he told DW.
The vast majority of coronavirus infections and deaths are directly related to obesity – a factor in 80% of hospital admissions
Excessive stomach a ‘significant risk’
“People who are overweight are most affected,” Martina Vasakova, head of respiratory medicine at Thomayer University Hospital in Prague, told Czech radio. “The pandemic started a year ago and since then, everyone who is overweight has had the opportunity to assess the risk they are taking when it comes to COVID-19,” she said. “Unfortunately, I see that people are stressed and gaining weight.”
According to Vasakova, the degree of obesity considered ‘normal’ in the Czech Republic is in fact dangerous, ” A stomach is a significant risk for men and women, ” she says.
Hope for spring?
“Even the risk of getting sick with COVID-19 in the first place increases a lot with obesity,” researcher Jozef Cupka told the Czech newspaper. Denik N. “If an overweight person becomes ill, there is a significantly greater chance of being admitted to the hospital. And if you are admitted to the hospital, you are more likely to end up in intensive care. And if you in intensive care, there is a much greater risk of dying. ‘
Cupka also considers coronavirus restrictions in the Czech Republic as part of the problem. He notes that exercise was banned indoors, while alcohol use increased at the same time and more people became overweight.
By mid-April, many restrictions need to be relaxed – and, combined with spring, this means more opportunities for outdoor exercise, including more opportunities to lose weight.
Czech doctors are convinced: every kilo counts in the fight against COVID-19.