The arrival in Peru of the new COVID-19 variant —known as EG.5 or Eris— is imminent, hence the need for people to get the bivalent vaccine doses,
Health Minister Cesar Vasquez said.
"No (Eris variant) case has been reported in Peru so far, but its arrival is imminent, due to the influx of tourists and Peruvian nationals going and coming from the United States, where a significant increase in the number of these cases has been reported," he remarked.
The minister noted that Eris is already in Ecuador and in other neighboring countries such as Colombia and Argentina.
Moreover, he explained that this variant is highly contagious, because it spreads quickly, but that does not mean that it is more lethal.
According to the government official, the population has become more relaxed as citizens see that there are no longer waves of COVID-19 infections or large numbers of hospitalizations and deaths.
"Do not forget that people are still dying from COVID-19 in the country and, unfortunately, those who die are patients with comorbidities, as well as people who have not received the four doses," he noted.
The Health sector's head revealed that the
Ministry of Health (Minsa) will launch
a powerful campaign in the next few days, so that the population can be protected against this type of variants.
On Tuesday, Vasquez visited children who received organ transplants after they were discharged from the National Institute of Child Health (INSN) based in Lima's San Borja district.
(END) LIT/RMB/MVB
Publicado: 23/8/2023