Deputy Min: COVID-19 indicators are going down in Peru, but pandemic has not gone away

In a weekly press conference, the epidemiologist said that Peru and its southern hemisphere neighbors —such as Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, and Chile— are entering a phase of low incidence of COVID-19 cases.

The government official explained that this downward trend is observed not only in coronavirus cases, but in the all-cause mortality rate.

"Before the pandemic (began in March), some 2,000 people used to die weekly in the country for different reasons. This index reached 6,000, and we see that it dropped to 2,600 in recent weeks; Peru is still above the usual, but it (the index) is going down," he expressed.

However, Suarez affirmed that "the pandemic has not gone away," adding that there could be an increase in cases in some regions at any moment —as has happened in Piura.

"The general trend of every indicator in the country suggests that the pandemic is going down; we are entering a phase of low incidence. There could be increases; there could be downward and upwards fluctuations, but any increase that we observe will be investigated quickly to take the necessary corrective measures," he said.

Given the proximity of Christmas and New Year holidays, Suarez called for citizens to act responsibly. For instance, families must avoid social gatherings that imply any risk of coronavirus contagion.

The official noted that if the population fails to comply with sanitary measures, more restrictive measures will have to be taken.

According to Dr. Suarez, over 60% of the population of Lima Metropolitan and Callao —who is based in middle and residential areas— can still become infected with the new coronavirus.

Therefore, "citizens must not lower their guard or believe that Peru has achieved a herd immunity due to the decrease in cases."