Regional alarm: third wave hits Bolivia with peak in coronavirus cases and deaths

LA PAZ.- The third wave coronaviruses hit hard Bolivia after registration more than 3,000 cases and 87 deaths in a single day, the highest figures since the start of the pandemic in the Andean country in March of last year.

Hospitals are overcrowded in several cities, forcing authorities to enforce new restrictions as the Covid-19 vaccination campaign slowly unfolds.

The most affected regions are Santa Cruz, in the east of the country; Cochabamba, in the center; Oruro, to the west, and La Paz, where restrictive measures have been taken.

In the latest report from the Ministry of Health, the country broke a record of infections per day reaching a record number of 3,005. And this Friday, the highest number of deaths was exceeded with 87 in one day. In Santa Cruz and Cochabamba, the most punished, the authorities ordered a quarantine on Sunday. In La Paz, capacity is reduced to 50% in restaurants, while in Santa Cruz it will be 30%.

Health authorities attribute the peak in infections to the circulation of more contagious variants, slow vaccination due to the shortage of vaccines, with only 8.6% of the population receiving at least one dose, and a relaxation of protective measures on the part of the populations.

Álvaro Terrazas, deputy minister of health system management, said on Saturday that it is expected that within one to two weeks the “biggest” peaks of this third wave will be recorded and admitted that Medical oxygen will run out in a week if Covid-19 cases continue to rise.

The vaccination campaign has reached 1.3 million people between the first and second dose of Sputnik V, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm and Pfizer, according to the Ministry of Health, which hopes to vaccinate 7.5 million people. Bolivia has accumulated 346,070 infections and 13,857 deaths from the coronavirus so far, according to official figures.

AP Agency

AP