Due to the advance of the Manaus strain, Latin America recorded records of infections and deaths from COVID-19 last week

In the week that ran from April 4 to 11, Latin America reported the highest number of infections and deaths from covid-19 since the start of the pandemic. The numbers, which have increased at breakneck speed in many countries in the region, are due to the rapid spread of new variants of the disease.

Most of these infections and deaths correspond to Brazil, which has the largest population in the region, but also the highest number of deaths per capita in Latin America.

The P.1 variant, first detected in December in the Amazon city of Manaus, has pushed Brazil’s healthcare system to the limit. However, the variant has already crossed borders and endangered the health infrastructures of neighboring countries such as Chile, Uruguay or Argentina.

Uruguay

Uruguay, which resisted the first wave of the virus with numbers far lower than its neighbors, reported an average of more than 1,000 cases per million inhabitants last week. The tallest in the world.

The small South American country is a unique case to analyze because it is the country in the region that vaccinates the most against the coronavirus, but also the one that suffers the most deaths per 100 inhabitants.

The figures recorded in recent days have led to the overtaking of countries in the region such as Peru (9.92), Paraguay (8.69), Chile (7.17) or Brazil (6.96), leaving behind behind the United States, with 1.41 per million inhabitants. Uruguay accumulates 560 deaths in the first 12 days of April, more than triple those recorded until December 31, 2020, when the South American country racked up 181.

Luis Lacalle Pou’s government continues to call for “responsible liberty” and has not made detention compulsory. Currently, attendance at classes, amateur sports competitions and public performance shows is suspended; clubs and gymnasiums, duty free shops (duty free shops) on the border with Brazil and casinos under state orbit are closing.

In addition, the hours of bars and restaurants are limited until midnight and entry into the country is only allowed, in addition to Uruguayans and residents, to foreigners who justify an exception for diplomatic, economic reasons. or personal and under the express authorization of the Executive.

Brazil

With 13.5 million cases of covid-19 and nearly 355,000 deaths, Brazil has an average of 3,124 deaths per day over the past week, a new record since the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic, and an average of 72,000 infections. Brazil’s lack of control of the pandemic has led scientists to warn of the possibility of the country becoming a global breadbasket of new variants, due to the continuous mutations of the virus.

The French government joined the list of countries that have suspended flights from Brazil in an attempt to prevent the overgrowth of the strain called P.1, which is up to three times more transmissible than its predecessors. “The situation in Brazil is absolutely dramatic and the danger of the variant in question poses real difficulties for us,” warned French Prime Minister Jean Castex.

Argentina

At Argentina -where several variants of the virus circulate like Manaus or in the United Kingdom-, political authorities and medical centers in the capital and in the province of Buenos Aires, the most populous in the country, have warned of the tensions facing the system health is facing due to the sharp increase in covid-19 cases and they considered that it is the worst time of the pandemic.

In fact, the country again recorded more than 27,000 infections on Tuesday, another daily record since the start of the pandemic. According to the epidemiological part, there are currently 3,836 people with coronavirus hospitalized in intensive care in Argentina. The percentage of bed occupancy nationwide is 62.4% and in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area (AMBA) 70.8%.

Faced with this situation, and the recommendation of medical experts to apply more severe restriction measures, the national cabinet is holding a new emergency meeting. No action will follow, but a clearer roadmap on how to continue in the days to come will emerge.

Chile

At Chile the pandemic continues unabated. On Monday, it added 5,718 new cases of covid-19 and 35 deaths and recorded a national positivity rate (number of positives per 100 tests) of 11%. “Young people are increasingly infected and are entering intensive care units,” warned the Chilean Minister of Health, Enrique Paris.

The country is on the verge of health collapse, considering that on Monday the authorities reported an occupation of intensive therapy of 97%. Although it has quadrupled its capacity to accommodate critically ill patients since the start of the pandemic, the recent increase in cases has led to only 135 beds available out of the 4,158 beds in total.

The composition of the occupation has changed since the first wave. According to Health Secretary Paula Daza, 70% of new admissions are between 20 and 59 years old. In contrast, those over 70 show a “sustained decline” which is attributed to the rapid vaccination campaign in the Andean country.

With information from EFE and Blooomberg

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