COVID-19: Peru recorded 180 new infections and 11 deaths in the last 24 hours

The COVID-19 pandemic is still present in our country, especially now that we are going through a third wave of contagion due to the presence of the omicron variant. According to the Situational Room of the Ministry of Health (Minsa), during the last 24 hours, 205 new infections were registered and 10 compatriots lost their lives due to the coronavirus. During that time period, 6,051 people were tested nationwide.

The number of people hospitalized rises to 1,040 because of the virus that triggered this pandemic. Of these, 356 are hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) being treated with mechanical ventilation. More than 3 million people have been in home isolation since the start of the pandemic, according to the Ministry of Health.

Since March 2020, more than 25 million Peruvians have been tested for coronavirus, of which 3,557,139 were confirmed cases. 212,676 is the total number, so far, of compatriots who have died due to COVID-19 since the virus was first registered on national territory.

In order to stop infections, the government maintains the recommendation to respect the physical distancing of at least one meter between people. He urges the population to constantly wash their hands, wear masks that are, preferably, KN95.

THE FUTURE OF MASKS

After two years of facing the COVID-19 pandemic, masks continue to be a tool to prevent contagion between citizens; however, the discussion about their validity has gained greater attention in recent weeks. “When we reach 80% of the third dose, we will be able to plan a removal of the masks. We need the population to exceed 80% of their third dose in order to remove the mask,” was the most recent statement by the Minister of Health, Jorge López.

The danger to which part of the population would still be exposed would be one of the reasons for not lifting the mandatory use of masks. “It's just that we still have a group that could be infected and with it, lead to having high rates of hospitalized patients again, is the reason why we still can't think about it,” he added.

For its part, the National Institute of Health (INS) noted that it is important to take into account several considerations to stop using masks. The head of the institution, Víctor Suárez, stressed that to eliminate the mandatory use of the mask in open spaces, vaccination coverage against COVID-19 must be increased.

“Chile has recently lifted the use of masks in open spaces, but they have third-dose coverage of 85% and second-dose coverage of 91%. We are at 49% and moving forward, but with large gaps in the regions, coverage is not homogeneous nationwide, we need to increase this in order to be able to relax certain measures such as the use of masks in open spaces with peace of mind” was the comparison used by the specialist.

It should be remembered that in recent weeks the influx in vaccination centers has decreased and fewer and fewer children between the ages of 5 and 11 are attending vaccinations to receive any of their doses. It should be remembered that in these cases, parental support is crucial as they are responsible for transferring them and giving them the necessary authorization to be vaccinated in any of the centers located in various parts of the city.

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