Foreign aid to Czechia

Israel has provided the Czech Republic with doses of the Covid-19 vaccine - while Germany has offered beds for Czech patients.

5,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine arrived from Israel on Tuesday. The state plans to vaccinate 2,500 soldiers with them who are helping with Covid-19 patients.

The SeznamZpravy server wrote last week that Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) asked Israel for possible surpluses of the vaccines in early January. In a letter he sent, Babiš referred to the "closest ties" of both countries and wrote about strengthening the Czech diplomatic representation in Jerusalem. He also praised Israel for being a model in how quickly it manages its vaccinations.

Also on Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Babiš and offered beds for Czech patients if necessary. Czechia already has an offer from the Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer for nine beds. Merkel will now find out what capacities are in Bavarian hospitals.

According to Babiš, Czech hospitals are still managing the situation. However, he admitted that the capacity of beds for patients in need of intensive care is very limited. Recently around 15% of ICU beds have been unoccupied.