Czech virus hospitalizations rise amid record omicron surge

PRAGUE (AP) — The number of COVID-19 patients in the Czech Republic has begun to grow amid a record surge of infections driven by the highly contagious omicron coronavirus variant. The Health Ministry says the number of hospitalized jumped to 1,695 on Monday, It had been declining since Dec 6, the peak of the previous wave, when 7,135 people needed hospital treatment during the previous wave caused by the delta variant. The government has cut isolation restrictions for those testing positive for COVID-19 from 14 to five days, and also shortened quarantine time for close contacts of infected people.