Lima, December 1 (EFE).- Peruvian health authorities confirmed this Thursday that the country had entered a fifth wave of covid-19 after the increase in cases recorded nationwide in the last three weeks and urged the population to complete the full four-dose vaccine schedule against this disease.
“There is an increase in hospitalizations and a moderate increase in deaths and (…) the criteria for being able to call this increase a fifth wave are met,” said the director of the National Center for Epidemiology, Prevention and Disease Control ( CDC), Vladimir Munayco, in a press conference.
Faced with this scenario, the Minister of Health, Kelly Portalatino, announced the agreements reached the day before, and unanimously, by the National Health Council (CNS), which include recommendations on the correct use of the mask in closed spaces or with poor ventilation, even if at the moment they do not contemplate the mandatory nature of this measure.
“In the next two epidemiological weeks we will evaluate and, if the upward curve continues, we will take decisions to reevaluate the obligation to return the masks,” said the head of the portfolio, who assured that his ministry has an emergency plan to deal with the new wave of infections.
Portalatino added that the CNS has also agreed to redouble its efforts to promote vaccination against covid-19 and sanction show promoters who do not comply with the recommendations of the Ministry of Health.
“We urge the population to continue with prevention and protection measures, in particular by completing the vaccination doses in vulnerable people”, remarked the minister, who appealed to “individual responsibility”.
INCREASE IN 24 REGIONS
Peru is one of the countries hardest hit by covid-19 in the world and has seen a sustained increase in cases of the disease since last October, according to official data.
This increase, according to experts, is mainly due to the three descendant strains of the BA.5 variant, which together make up 65% of the samples sequenced in the country in recent weeks.
The escalation of infections, they added, has been reported in 24 of the 25 regions of the national territory, since the number of cases has stabilized in the Amazon region of Loreto, which in early November increased the number of infections from covid-19 six-fold.
VACCINATION PROCESS
To stop the fifth wave, the authorities insisted on the need to complete the vaccination calendar up to the fourth dose.
In this sense, they reported that the country has an “acceptable level” of application of the first two doses, which have been administered to 90% of the target population, but warned that the inoculation of the third and fourth doses still does not bring back the ” appropriate levels”.
“The population has to reach the fourth dose and this is where we have a dose demand of 23.44%” explained Dr. José Cruz, who pointed out that 60% of children between 5 and 11 received the second dose, while only 14% of this age group has the booster vaccine.
Since the start of the covid-19 pandemic in Peru in March 2020, the Andean country has more than 4.25 million confirmed cases and nearly 218,000 deaths, making it the highest death rate from this disease. EFE extension
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