The two additional COVID-19 cases confirmed in the central highland region of Huanuco bring the total number to 11 across Peru, Health Minister Elizabeth Hinostroza informed on Tuesday morning.
After the inauguration of San Cosme Community Mental Health Center, in Lima city's La Victoria district, the minister said that the cases reported in Huanuco involve two siblings who have recently returned from vacation in Europe.
"The symptoms came on when they were in Peru. They are in Huanuco city, their condition is stable and they are in
home quarantine because, in the case of young people,
patients usually present flu-like symptoms," she explained.
The Ministry of Health (Minsa) reported that the new cases that tested positive for coronavirus include a 27-year-old man and a 15-year-old teenage girl.
After noting that 346 samples from suspected cases have been analyzed so far, Minsa reiterated that the National Health Institute (INS) is the only official body authorized to process samples and disclose results in Peru.
Additionally, Minsa is the official source of authorized information on
coronavirus in the South American country. Thus, the content circulating in social media and other unofficial networks should not be deemed as true.
The ministry highly recommends washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; covering nose and mouth with the forearm or a tissue when coughing or sneezing; avoiding eye, nose, and mouth touching with unwashed hands; and avoiding close contact with people who have respiratory illnesses.
(END) LIT/RMB/MVB
Published: 3/10/2020