Coronavirus in Peru: one death every five minutes | …

With the frightening rhythm of one dies every five minutes, Peruvians face the worst time of the pandemic with an apparent easing of prevention measures, despite the fact that the Brazilian variant of covid-19 accelerates infections in this prolonged second wave.

Despite the fact that Peru has tried almost every measure applied to mitigate the pandemic – strict quarantine, border closures, curfews, compulsory use of masks and face masks, among others – nothing seems to stop the advance of the virus , which officially caused the death of more than 58,000 people in one year in a country of 33 million people.

So far in April, the Department of Health reported the deaths of nearly 6,000 people, which exceeds the deaths of last February, which were 5,500 people by covid. “In the first wave (in 2020), the highest peaks reported by the Department of Health were close to 220 deaths per day,” said data analyst Rodrigo Parra. “Already in this last week, the daily average has increased to 350 deaths, practically in one day every five minutes, a death is confirmed, ”he added.

More than 700 deaths “in excess”

Along with the ministry’s measure, the National Information System on Deaths (SINADEF) collects people who have died for whatever reason in a national register and presents excess deaths that have occurred during the health crisis, taking into account trends in previous years.

“If we measure it by an excess of deaths, at least 1,140 people per day currently die by SINADEF, against 300 who were recorded before the pandemic. a surplus of more than 700 people per day“said Parra.

Thus, in April there were between 400 and 350 daily deaths with a confirmed diagnosis of covid, and as many deaths above the historical average. “Once again, Peru, after the first wave, and now in this second, unfortunately positions itself in the first positions in the world by excess of deaths”, expressed Parra, who shares on social networks a daily analysis of the data of the pandemic.

The interim president of Peru himself, Francisco sagasti, said on Thursday: “We are already at the top of the second wave and what is happening in our country and in other countries in the region is really terrible”.

Nearly 10,000 infections per day

During the analysis of infections since the end of last March, the percentage of positive cases out of the total number of tests was 12 percent, but this week the positivity is close to 20 percent, with peaks in some days of 40, Note Parra.

The second wave in Peru began in January and accelerated its growth last February, when authorities warned of the entry of the Brazilian variant, which is present in 10 of the 25 regions of the country.

The president of the public health committee of the Medical College of Peru, Augusto Tarazona, explained that over the past two weeks, there have been between 9,000 and 10,000 cases of covid per day.

“This number of cases and our health system cannot handle it. Of these cases, at least 1,000 seek health care, but we can no longer assist, all of this converges to increase mortality in our country, ”he said.

Tarazona claimed that four factors contributed to the worsening of the crisis, among them the “relaxation that existed due to the electoral campaign” in February and March, with events, candidate travel and in-person voting for executive and congressional elections, which took place on April 11.

More, trips made during Holy Week, despite the immobilization dictated by the government of Sagasti.

A third factor is the presence of the Brazilian variant, which “is becoming much more intense in various parts of the country and will result in the growth of the pandemic more rapidly,” said the infectologist.

In addition, Tarazona stressed that “there was no any type of control of established sanitary measures some time ago “, thanks to effective monitoring of compliance with use of masks or social distancing.

Tired of restrictions

The doctor admitted that there is among the population “a pandemic fatigue“He’s over a year old.” but we have no choice. There is no other option because the pandemic continues and grows stronger, ”he stressed.

Are more frequent the operations of the national police in the so-called covid festivals or traditional festivals in the provinces, where officers have had difficulty dealing with those who violate the prohibitions on this type of activity.

Tarazona even pointed out that there is an additional characteristic in the spread of the virus and that it is the intra-familial contagion, which accelerates the contagion in an entire family group and has tripled the mortality at home due to the impossibility for a whole family to find help in time. .