Chile reports second highest number of daily cases, announces new quarantines

The The Chilean Ministry of Health today reported more than 6,000 new infections and 150 deaths from coronavirus, for which it has decreed new quarantines in nine regions of the metropolitan region, the main source of infection in the country, and in other regions.

The Minister of Health, Enrique Paris, assured in the daily balance that “the behavior figures of the Covid-19 remain high” and that before that they are obliged to decree the regression of nine municipalities (districts) of Santiago towards phase 1 of the plan Step by step, total isolation.

“It is not easy to decree a quarantine,” said Paris, who also indicated that these isolations “are measures which must be accompanied by significant financial assistance, food basket and help for children. “

Later Public Health Under Secretary Paula Daza reported that Sectors of Santiago Centro, a populated area of ​​the capital, along with eight other areas, will enter full quarantine from this Saturday, March 20. at 5 a.m.

With this announcement, 17 of the 52 municipalities in the metropolitan region will be in total isolation from this Saturday.

Alberto Dougnac, Under-Secretary for Health Networks, reported that the country had reported 6,249 new cases, the highest number since June 19, when 6,290 coronavirus infections were reported. It also reported 172 new deaths from Covid-19.

With this data, Chile reaches 911,469 confirmed infections, of which 34,228 are considered “active”, and 21,988 died.

The official also detailed that The number of hospitalized patients continues to grow with 2,152 admitted to intensive care units, of which 1,881 are related to mechanical ventilation.

In the report, transmitted from the Palacio de La Moneda, the Minister Paris announced that next week the vaccination of the members of the office will begin so that they arrive already vaccinated at the elections of April 10 and 11, where the 155 conventional voters will be chosen, governors, mayors (mayors) and councilors.

In the middle of mass vaccination plan, which has exceeded 5 million vaccinated since its inception In December, vaccine batch number 14 containing 153,075 doses of Pfizer / BioNtech arrived in Chile today, Transport and Telecommunications Minister Gloria Hutt reported.

He explained that with this arrival, Chile has so far received 11,068,351 doses and “over seven million have been successfully distributed across the country.”