The Minister of Health, Hernando Cevallos, reported that, generally at the national level, 70% people over 60 years are vaccinated against COVID-19 with the two necessary doses; however, he warned that there is still a gap of people over 60 years of age “who are reluctant to be vaccinated, who for different reasons do not attend.”
“The gap in general in the country between those who have taken the first dose and the second dose is still wide. Although we have advanced, for example, in the first dose we already have 53% of the population, but in the second dose , which is the one that gives us peace of mind and greater protection, we are still approaching 36%, “he said.
“We have, in general, between the first and second dose a difference of 3 million people who need to take the second dose and that is what we insist that we must work on: that people take the second dose and, above all, that people that they are older than 50 years, that the two doses are applied in the country, “he said.
In an interview with RPP News, the Health Minister recognized that there are sectors of the population, mainly the most remote, where it is difficult to arrive “more than once” to vaccinate them and that for this reason the strategy of the Minsa for these cases it is to vaccinate the population over 18 years of age to avoid more transfers of the brigades.
Increase in cases of the delta variant and possible third wave
At another time, the minister Cevallos reiterated the need to raise an “early warning” on the possibility of the arrival of a third wave of the COVID-19 to Peru by the dangerous advance of the delta variant, despite the fact that the country is currently within an “epidemiological calm” due to the global number of infections and deaths.
“At this moment the volume of infections and deaths due to the COVID-19 It is not in a frank ascent, so we cannot say that we are entering a third wave at this time, but the increase in cases of the delta variant, which is 8-9 times more contagious, generates a concern, “he said.
Cevallos reported that in the last 24 hours, 492 infected people have been registered, while globally Peru has more than 2 million infections since the pandemic began. In that sense, he indicated that, despite the fact that Peru is a country with an important contagion rate, “we are in an epidemiological calm.”
The holder of the Minsa noted that “there is no exact time” for the arrival of a third wave to the country, despite the fact that, days ago, he estimated that this could happen in two weeks. However, he recalled that the presentation of a third wave in most of the countries close to Peru “has occurred abruptly, in two or three weeks of having few cases, the cases in these countries rose exponentially.”
“Given that what continues to advance (the delta variant) and has already gone from being a minority variant to being the majority variant, with more than 54% of the cases that occur in the country, is highly contagious, we have to raise a early warning of this possibility (arrival of a third wave in the country), “he said.
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