The Czech Republic has reported a further decline in the number of Covid-19 infections and deaths from daily highs seen in early November, but the country remains among the hardest hit in Europe during this second wave of the pandemic.

Health ministry data showed 4,199 new cases were reported on Saturday, down by more than 3,500 from the same day a week earlier, amid tough lockdown measures, with 132 new fatalities, which includes revisions to previous days.

The total number of cases in the country of 10.7 million since the start of the pandemic now stands at 458,229. The death toll stands at 6,058, a tenfold increase since late September, Reuters reported.

The Czech Republic, like many other countries in central and eastern Europe, weathered the first wave of the pandemic in the spring relatively well but it has suffered badly in this second wave. Despite the current dip in cases, it still has the highest per capita number of deaths in Europe at 26.7 per 100,000.