More than 980,000 new cases of COVID-19 were reported nationwide last January. This figure is similar to the total number of infections recorded in the first wave and a large proportion of the cases registered during the second wave, the Intelligence and Data Analysis Unit (UIAD) of the
Social Health Insurance System (EsSalud) reported on Tuesday.
According to Dante Cersso, head of the aforementioned unit, COVID-19 infections reached a historic high during the third week of January, since the start of the pandemic, totaling more than 342,000 cases, five times the peaks observed in the first and second waves, which saw 61,000 and 67,000 cases per week, respectively.
He went on to say that although the cases decreased in the fourth week of January (going from 342,000 to 238,000 infected people), infections continue to rise in regions like Ucayali (+27%), Amazonas (+20%), Moquegua (+15%), Madre de Dios (+15%), Apurimac (+13%), and Tumbes (+5%).
Cersso reported that 3,477 deaths were registered in the first month of this year; that means 112 people died every day from this disease.
In addition, the EsSalud's spokesperson mentioned that, last week, around 6,000 patients were admitted to hospital beds —at all health subsystems— per day, while 1,300 people are fighting for their life on an ICU bed.
He also stressed the importance of completing the primary vaccine series and receiving the booster dose (mainly in the case of patients with comorbidities) to be more protected against the virus and thus reduce the probability of occupying an ICU bed.
(END) NDP/LIQ/RMB/MVB
Publicado: 8/2/2022