End-of-the-year gatherings and the relaxation of biosafety measures caused a dramatic and rapid increase in COVID-19 infections in just a few weeks, which prompted the Government to announce, on January 4, that
Peru is facing a third wave of the pandemic.
Specialists from the
Ministry of Health (Minsa) explain that the Omicron variant displaced Delta in a short time, as the former is easily transmitted from person to person.
But, how long will the COVID-19 third wave last and how much will it affect us?
Executive Director of Public Health Surveillance at Minsa, Dr. Cesar Munayco, suggests that the third wave will be shorter because infections occurred very quickly and have affected a large percentage of citizens, compared to the first and second waves, when infections occurred at a slower rate.
"This exponential increase of thousands of infected people in such a short time will make the third wave last less time compared to the first and second waves, when infections occurred progressively," he told Andina news agency.
Munayco explained that, due to the fact that there is a high percentage of infected people, the possibility for Omicron to find a non-infected person is significantly smaller, so the third wave is believed to end quickly.
The Minsa specialist noted that the country is seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases at the moment and has not yet reached the peak of infections, except in some regions such as Cusco, which is showing a clear decline in infections after a dizzying peak of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the population.
However, in Metropolitan Lima, the districts seeing a slowdown in new COVID-19 cases are Miraflores, San Isidro, La Molina, Surco, and downtown Lima.
Return to in-person classes
On the other hand, the expert urged parents to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19, especially now that Peru is facing a third wave and that the return to face-to-face classes is about to take place.
He emphasized that, although children with SARS-CoV-2 infection do not develop serious illness, they can experience some symptoms for a prolonged period of time.
(END) ICI/LIT/RMB/MVB
Publicado: 2/2/2022