Coronavirus: Paraguay has confirmed the health collapse …

The Minister of Health of Paraguay, Julio Mazzoleni, confirmed this Wednesday the collapse of hospitalization and intensive care areas in hospitals in the departments of Asunción and Central, and assured that the country is entering “a very difficult phase of the pandemic”.

“In Asunción and Central, the situation is very complicated“the official said in statements to the press after leaving a meeting with Felipe González, director of the National Institute of Respiratory and Environmental Diseases (INERAM), a referral hospital in Paraguay.

Mazzoleni detailed that “There are people waiting to be admitted” because there is no availability of beds for coronavirus patients. In addition, he said that even the demand in the private sector “is high”.

For his part, José Fusillo, pulmonologist at INERAM, announced that this hospital center had occupied all of its hospital beds and intensive care units (ICU). It also appeared that the occupation is maximum at the Hospital de Clínicas and at the Social Security Institute (IPS), Ingavi.

On the other hand, Mazzoleni addressed citizens to ask them to comply with the measures established to stop the advance of the pandemic. “This will continue as long as we don’t behave. There are few things that are restricted, the only thing we ask is that you wear masks and comply with sanitary measures“.

In a message he posted on his Twitter account after the meeting with González, the official said that “There are places the police, prosecution or the health ministry can reach, but the virus does“; so he insisted, “We need consciousness to prevail. There is no excuse for not wearing a mask and keeping your distance. “

The numbers and the holidays

Until, Paraguay, country of more than 7 million inhabitants, accumulates 89,421 positive cases of coronavirus – Of which 698 were confirmed on the last day – and 1,887 died from the pandemic.

Mazzoleni urged people to make a greater effort of care during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

“So far, we have over 1,800 families in mourning due to Covid-19, which is why I call on citizens to moderate alcohol consumption and take preventive measures so that no one fails the table during these celebrations. We need to be disciplined like we were at the start, we need consciousness to prevail“, he underlined.