The first Czech patient with COVID-19 was transported on Tuesday morning from the hospital in Ústí nad Orlicí (Pardubice Region, central Czech Republic) to the hospital in Racibórz in southern Poland.

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The patient was transported by an ambulance and was accompanied by the director of the Medical Rescue Service of the Pardubice Region. The transport took two and a half hours.

The second patient expected to be transported to Poland as well, remains in Pardubice hospital for the time being, as his condition has worsened.

Due to a critical situation in Czech hospitals and full ICUs, the Czech government activated last week foreign aid and asked for cooperation with placing at least dozens of patients with COVID-19 in hospitals in Germany, Switzerland, and Poland.

The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care in the Czech Republic reached a new record of 1,789 on Monday. The total number hospitalized with the virus is almost 8,500, which is the second-highest figure since the pandemic began. The number of free beds in hospitals remains low; only 14 percent of ICU beds are currently available.