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COVID-19 Cases Rising in Peru: Urgency for Vaccination as New Variant Looms

So far this year, more than 2,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Peru.

The pandemic is over, but COVID-19 continues to kill dozens of Peruvians. Now, with the imminent arrival of its variant called EG.5 or “Eris”, more citizens are at risk of being affected by the deadly virus if they do not complete their vaccination schedule or receive their doses of the bivalent vaccine.

This was stated by the head of the Ministry of Health (Minsa), César Vásquez, who through a press conference gave new insights on how the coronavirus continues to attack the group of people who are within the vulnerable population.

“Fortunately, we are prepared with the vaccines (…) There is still a significant amount of the population, especially adults, vulnerable groups, who have not yet completed their vaccination (…) We have an average of up to 70 deaths per week that occurs among those patients who have not completed their vaccination,” he said.

Minister of Health assured a strong investment to combat the disease.

Likewise, the minister stressed that “it is a matter of days” for the new Eris variant to reach Peruvian lands, so it is necessary to take precautions in the case so that the contagion figures do not increase, as occurred in 2020 and 2021 in Peru. .

“Yes, COVID cases are increasing in the country. There is still no such variant (Eris), it has not yet entered Peru, but that is a matter of days, at any moment we will have the report of the first cases and this will spread rapidly because that is the characteristic of this new variant. Beyond being deadlier or more serious, its main feature is that it spreads more easily,” he said.

Finally, César Vásquez urged the entire nation to approach the vaccination centers so that they can complete their vaccination scheme, otherwise, the purchases made by the Government would have been in vain.

“If people do not get vaccinated, when there are vaccines, it would be irresponsible and this could get out of hand (…) We are going to work with the vaccines that exist and even then they will be left over because we have an overstock of vaccines (…) We have vaccines enough to vaccinate all Peruvians and we will still have more than enough”, he concluded.

The Ministry of Health offers free vaccines against COVID-19 nationwide. (Andean Agency)

So far in 2023, more than 30,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the national territory, of which, unfortunately, 2,000 have died, according to reports from the National Center for Epidemiology, Prevention, and Disease Control (CDC). Peru) of the Ministry of Health (Minsa).

“The vaccines were designed with the original virus, but the viruses that are circulating now are different. Taking into account that more than 3 years have passed and different mutations have accumulated, the vaccine has been updated, which now also includes the omicron variant and some of its descendants,” explained Dr. Roger Araujo, infectologist at the National Institute of Health (INS). ), to the Andean Agency.

These data show that, although there is a false feeling that the coronavirus is no longer as aggressive as in previous years, it is necessary to complete the vaccination schedule. According to Víctor Suárez, head of the INS, the coronavirus is still present throughout the world and, therefore, it is a serious mistake to minimize vaccination or to think that “if I get the disease, it will be with mild symptoms, just as they did.” to some acquaintances,” he said.

“We should not trust ourselves because, as the months go by, the protection offered by the vaccine is declining, so it is necessary to apply a fourth dose to recover the level of antibodies we had,” he told Andina Al Día.

2023-08-27 20:37:16
#Minsa #Peru #people #die #COVID19 #week

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