Peru reports doubling in Covid-19 casualties / Article

South American Peruvian officials have more than doubled the official death toll with Covid-19. The decision was made after an in-depth analysis of mortality rates. The incidence of Covid-19 is currently rising in both Peru and other Latin American countries, reaching its highest levels ever during a pandemic.

Iquitos, the largest city in the Amazon region of Peru, is one of the places where the devastating spread of the Brazilian type of Covid-19 is well visible. Officials have buried 400 dead in the jungle in a fast-moving cemetery without asking permission from relatives. Many still do not know exactly where their family members’ last resting place is.

“It simply came to our notice then. I would not wish that to anyone. It is very painful to lose a family member, but not being able to arrange a Christian funeral and not even knowing where he was buried is heartbreaking, ”says Robert Lecca, a resident of Iquitos.

Iquitos, with a population of almost 400,000, is considered to be the world’s largest off-road destination, making it very difficult to supply oxygen cylinders and medicines. In addition, hospitals are overcrowded not only here, but across the country.

In this context, government officials have reported more than double the official death toll with Covid-19: from less than 70,000 to more than 180,000 reported so far.

This has been done on the recommendations of experts from Peru and other countries, given the increased mortality rates compared to the pre-pandemic period.

“We consider it our duty to provide these updated statistics. Not only for the sake of transparency, but also to fulfill its duty as a state. Let us remember that the pandemic has led to an increase in the number of orphans. The government has approved benefits for these minors until they reach the age of majority, ”said Violet Bermudes, head of the Peruvian government.

The number of active cases in Peru could soon peak during the whole pandemic. The situation is similar and even more serious in other Latin American countries.

Argentina recorded twice as many cases in May as the previous highest point in October last year, with more than 40,000 new cases a day.

The number of infections has also started to rise again in Brazil, which has the second highest mortality rate of Covid-19 in the world. But the total number of deaths across Latin America and the Caribbean since the pandemic last week exceeded one million.

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