Colombia reports 294 new cases of covid-19 this March 22

The Ministry of Health reported, this Tuesday, March 22, 2022, 294 new cases of covid-19 in Colombia. In the last 24 hours, 11,522 tests were processed, of which 4,131 are PCR and 7,391 are antigens.

The report also notes that 18 Colombians died of the disease on the last day. In this way, the country reaches a total of 139,489 deaths due to the virus since the start of the pandemic.

By aggregating all the figures, Colombia reached a total of 6,081,933 infections, of which 5,494 are active cases and 5,914,212 correspond to positive cases that have already managed to overcome the disease.

As for the regions with the most reported cases, Bogotá leads with 64 infected, followed by Cartagena with 46 infections and third Santander with 42.

There are 198 conglomerates in the country. The territories are: Amazon, Antioquia (Ituango), Arauca, Atlántico, Barranquilla, Bogota, Boyaca, Bolivar, Buenaventura, Caldas, Caqueta, Cartagena, Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Choco, Cordoba, Cundinamarca, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Nariño, North Santander, Putumayo, Quindio, Risaralda, San Andres, Santa Marta, Santander, Sucre, Tolima , Valle, Vaupés, Vichada, Guaviare and Guainia.

This is how vaccination is going in the country

The most recent report from the Ministry of Health also indicates that as of 11:59 on Saturday, March 19, 2022, a total of 79,783,514 doses of the vaccine against covid-19 had already been applied in Colombia.

According to the same report, the number of Colombians with the complete vaccination schedule, that is, those who have already received the two doses of the biological, currently amounts to 28,149,364 people, while 6,296,103 people have been immunized with single doses. Likewise, 9,892,211 booster doses have been applied.

Similarly, during the last day, a total of 32,049 vaccines were applied, of which 8,323 were for the second injection, while another 1,540 were single-dose.

Two years after the start of the covid-19 pandemic in Colombia, the Ministry of Health revealed that, between March 2020 and November 2021, the number of teleconsultations increased in the country, with general medicine and psychology being the most requested services through virtual medical consultations.

According to the Ministry, during this period of time, thanks to the pandemic, 127,404,668 teleorientations and teleconsultations were consolidated in the country, equivalent to 6,066,989 average consultations per month.

“4.27% of qualified health service providers in the country offer telemedicine and are located in 370 municipalities in 32 departments and 6 districts (3,368 health service providers with 122,57 qualified services),” said the Ministry's Deputy Minister of Public Health and Service Provision, Germán Escobar, adding that, of the headquarters that provide this type of service, 9.8 per cent correspond to public offices.

In this regard, the official highlighted that, between December 2020 and December 2021, there was a 25% increase in the supply of services through telemedicine at the provider headquarters that provide it, and a 12% increase in services enabled.

According to the Deputy Minister of Health, during that period, the telemedicine services most requested by Colombians were: general medicine, with 8.36 per cent; psychology, with 6.88 per cent; internal medicine, with 6.46 per cent; pediatrics, with 5.34 per cent; and nutrition and dietetics, with 5.30 per cent.

These services were followed by gyneco-obstetrics (4.57%); dermatology (3.40%); orthopedics and/or traumatology (3.10%); nursing (2.81%); psychiatry (2.36%); cardiology (2.35%); neurology (2.21%); physiotherapy (2.19%); and other specialty consultations (2.17%).

Regarding the regions of the country where teleconsultations were most reported during the pandemic, the Deputy Minister of Health reported that 76% of telemedicine services offered throughout the country were registered in Antioquia, Bogotá, Valle del Cauca, Cundinamarca, Santander, Barranquilla, Cordoba, Nariño, Cartagena and Cesar.

The official then added that “the departments of Amazonas, Guainía, Guaviare Vaupés and Vichada ended 2021 with 58 provider offices that enable 192 services in the telemedicine modality.”

In view of the positive figures, the Deputy Minister of Public Health announced that, from the portfolio, an administrative act is being carried out, which establishes the points that must be kept in the area of health in the country after the expiry of Decree 538 of 2020, which establishes the health services that must be kept in the country will be provided during the health emergency.

“It is in the Ministry's interest to maintain the progress achieved during the pandemic and to promote that the transitional offer is maintained as far as possible, but with compliance with the standards and quality criteria established in current regulations,” concluded Deputy Minister Escobar.

KEEP READING: