Third wave in Chile? Strong regrowth surprises Santiago

SANTIAGO, Chile – Despite being the first country in the region, with more than 19% of the vaccinated population, Chile has known a sharp increase in the number of coronavirus cases, casting doubt on a third wave of the pandemic, but the authorities preferred to define it only as a “sustained growth” of infections.

“For several weeks, we have seen a sustained increase in cases in different regions of the country“Said the Under Secretary of Public Health, Paula Daza, explaining that after a year of pandemic” there is a pandemic fatigue “, fatigue with which they ensure they have fought “Repeated calls to maintain self-care measures”. According to the authorities, 15 municipalities in the metropolitan region have the highest incidence of active cases in seven months.

The Ministry of Health reported on Thursday 134 new deaths from Covid-19, bringing the national total to 20,838 since the first contagion was detected in the country, and 4,567 new cases.

Daza added that “In the last seven days there has been an increase of 16% and in the last eight days of 18%”, he said. “We are concerned about the area of ​​O’Higgins where there has been an increase in the last seven days of more than 40%,” he warned.

According to the Undersecretary, “We are looking at the southern regions, where the sustained increase is greater. And we are obviously concerned about the metropolitan area, because in recent weeks, we have seen an increase in several municipalities ”.

Today it was announced that ten other municipalities in the metropolitan region are returning to phase 2 isolation, with which 63% of the areas in which the capital is divided will remain isolated.

Daza, explained that in the case of these communes which return to quarantine, “from Monday, in the communes where there is school activity children must continue their educational activities via telematics“.

Chile experienced its first wave of infections exactly one year ago. After this first wave, the pandemic declined significantly, the country saw a dramatic drop in cases and stayed that way for a few months, until at the beginning of december a second wave started which then began to decrease in intensity as the vaccination program progressed.

Mercury / GDA

THE NATION

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