Colombia reports 248 new infections of covid-19 this April 20

The Ministry of Health reported, on April 20, 2022, 248 new cases of covid-19 in Colombia. In the last 24 hours, 19,324 tests were processed, of which 6,021 were PCR and 13,303 were antigens.

The report also noted that a Colombian man died of the disease on the last day. In this way, the country reaches a total of 139,751 deaths due to the virus since the start of the pandemic.

By aggregating all the figures, Colombia reached a total of 6,089,791 infections, of which 3,060 are active cases and 5,923,287 correspond to positive cases that have already managed to overcome the disease.

There are 151 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 Monday, April 18, 2022, a total of 82,062,945 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 28,810,980 people, while 6,401,077 people have been immunized with single doses. Likewise, 11,087,394 booster doses have been applied.

Similarly, during the last day, a total of 69,939 vaccines were applied, of which 18,125 were for the second injection, while another 4,229 were single-dose.

As a result of the winter season that affects a large part of the country and which, according to IDEAM, will last until next June, Colombia is experiencing an epidemiological peak of acute respiratory infections (ARI). These are caused by viruses such as influenza, rhinoviruses, respiratory syncytial viruses and other agents that can generate common flu, cold. Even other, more severe diseases such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia can occur, mainly in children under five years of age.

Faced with this scenario, MinSalud pointed out that it is important to prevent ARI from the correct use of the mask, to carry out permanent hand washing and to self-isolate in case of symptoms. In this regard, it was indicated that in influenza illness and other acute respiratory infections such as the flu and the common cold, symptoms can be manageable at home and that discomfort can last between three to five days. Symptoms on the other hand are associated with nasal congestion, watery eyes, irritated throat, chills, sneezing and discharge from the nose.

In any case, the most important thing is to self-isolate while you have symptoms and it is recommended that you do so not only the sick person but also the whole family, maintain hydration with home remedies, before fever put warm water cloths on armpits and groin, do not self-medicate and consult health services through the EPS only before alarm signs.

Recommendations to avoid ARI

- Constantly wash your hands with soap and water.

- Wear masks in enclosed spaces, especially in gardens, schools, geriatric centers.

- Persistently clean and disinfect surfaces at home and work.

- Avoid the presence of smoke inside homes and provide ventilation and natural lighting.

- Avoid crowds.

- Avoid sudden changes in temperature.

- Avoid touching your face, mouth and eyes.

- Do not forget the vaccination schedule in groups most vulnerable to ARI: children under six years of age, adults over 60 years old, people with comorbidities and pregnant women.

- Do not neglect breastfeeding in children under six months of age.

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