Santiago has worst infection numbers in 11 months

Chile’s metropolitan region, which includes its capital, Santiago, surpassed 4,000 daily coronavirus infections for the first time in more than 11 months and the country has reached the second highest number of new positive cases since the start of the pandemic, despite the advanced vaccination campaign.

At the same time, the Senate unanimously approved a new tranche of Emergency Family Income (IFE), which will be universal for families registered in the Social Household Register, which is equivalent to more than 15 million people.

The bonus will be 177,000 Chilean pesos (over $ 246) for family groups of one member and increases when it comes to three to four members, reaching respectively 400,000 (nearly $ 557) and 500,000 ($ 696).

According to the latest report from the Ministry of Health, 4,245 new positives were detected during the last day, the worst number since June 14, 2020.

The health system of the Metropolitan Region had started raising the alarm a few weeks ago and, as a result, more than half of the municipalities have withdrawn under the Plan Pas à Pas, the phased health regime with which the country faces pandemic.

According to the newspaper La Tercera, the indicators continue to increase and the figures that the Ministry of Health reported today, with a daily positivity of 12%, confirm this.

The region had not exceeded this barrier of 4,000 contaminations since the first wave, more precisely since June 19 of last year (4,421), ie in 11 months and 15 days.

Nationwide, the Health portfolio has reported 8,867 new cases in the past 24 hours, the second-highest figure in the pandemic, down from 8,426 seven days ago.

Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, Chile had 1,420,266 infected people, including 1,342,080 cured.

According to the health authority, 3,213 people are hospitalized in intensive care units, 2,722 with mechanical ventilation assistance.

The death toll from Covid-19 is 29,816, according to the El Mercurio website.