Lima, 6 Dec. Most of those hospitalized during the fifth wave of covid-19 in Peru, the country with the world’s highest death rate from the disease, have not received any doses of the vaccine, the Ministry of Health (MINSA) said on Tuesday. ).
So far in the fifth wave of the pandemic, officially decreed last Thursday in the country, 137,278 cases, 493 deaths and 973 hospitalized have been reported.
The lethality reaches 0.35% and most cases “do not have a vaccine against the coronavirus, with very few patients having the first and fourth doses,” added the Minsa.
In this regard, the director general of the National Center for Epidemiology, Prevention and Disease Control (CDC), César Munayco, indicated that in the epidemiological week from October 30 to November 5, cases increased by 145.5% compared to what was reported in the week of 23 to 29 October.
From November 6 to 12, cases increased by 174.1% compared to the previous week and in the week of November 13 to 19, the increase reached 110%.
Munayco added that “Lima, being the capital of the country, concentrates the largest number of cases” and that “so far all regions, with the exception of (the Amazon) Loreto, are reporting an increase in cases”.
The specialist also said that most of those who died in this fifth wave were over the age of 59 and that deaths were more frequent among those who received no or only one booster dose than those who received two.
“There is an increase in deaths, but it is not yet compared to previous waves. The people who die are mainly the elderly. And those who get infected are young people, adults and the elderly; therefore, it is important to take the preventive measures that we all know” , he remarked.
Munayco also said this surge has seen 973 hospitalizations so far, a trend that continues to grow, while another 26 people remain in intensive care units (ICUs).
After indicating that most of the patients are over 29 years old, he specified that, in addition to presenting the symptoms of the disease, they were patients suffering from diabetes, cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, renal, pulmonary, HIV and cancer diseases.
This Monday, the Minister of Health, Kelly Portalatino, called for “responsibility” from the people of Peru to continue to be vaccinated against covid-19 and to wear a mask in places with crowds of people.
The minister announced that new health measures will be announced next week and that any mandatory use of the mask will be determined by the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
The latest official data indicated that an additional 2,326 cases and 8 deaths were reported on December 4, bringing the total number of cases detected since the arrival of the virus in the country to 4,304,745 and deaths to 217,519.
