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 variant, AP reports.

According to figures released by the health ministry, the number of hospitalised jumped to 1,695 on Monday, up from 1,537 the previous day.

It had been declining since Dec 6 when the previous wave, caused by the Delta variant, peaked at 7,135 people needing hospital treatment.