Health Minister Hernando Cevallos on Sunday said that 153 new cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus have been reported in Lima and various regions across the country, bringing the total number of cases in Peru to 309.
The government official indicated that the cases in Lima and Callao were detected in almost every district.
In addition, new cases have been confirmed in the regions of Piura (5), Ancash (4), Ica (6), La Libertad (1), Arequipa (1), Huanuco (1), Loreto (2), and Apurimac (1).
According to Cevallos, 7.6% of the COVID-19 cases reported nationwide were attributed to the Omicron variant, but it is estimated that Omicron cases represent 53% of the new COVID-19 cases reported in Lima and Callao.
On December 19, 2021, the health minister confirmed the first four cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant detected in Peru. They were monitored by the National Health Institute (INS) to trace the details of their itinerary and track their contacts.
Additionally, he mentioned that, although the Delta variant continues to be the predominant strain of COVID-19 in Peru, Omicron continues to spread.
In this regard, Cevallos commented that the transmissibility of Omicron is very high, which is why he urged the population to get vaccinated, avoid crowds, wear two face masks, ventilate closed spaces, and keep a distance of 1.5 meters between them.
While the
Ministry of Health (Minsa) made great progress in the vaccination process at year-end 2021 —with 80.04% of the target population (individuals over 12 years of age) having two doses— people need to receive their booster dose and continue observing the measures put in place, otherwise the health sector's response capacity will exceed its limit.
(END) NDP/LIT/RMB
Published: 1/2/2022