Uruguayan doctors demand detention in the face of a “very serious situation” due to the coronavirus – Telam

Uruguayan doctors have called on the government of President Luis Lacalle Pou to adopt lockdowns in the face of the very serious situation due to the coronavirus, after the country recorded a record of more than 4,500 cases in one day.

In addition to reporting an unprecedented 4,586 positives in the past 24 hours on Wednesday, Uruguay remains the country with the highest relative death toll in the past two weeks, after adding 49 deaths.

In managing the pandemic, the country of 3.5 million people has never resorted to full containment and keeps much of its activities open despite the fact that coronavirus infections have soared since last March. .

Lacalle Pou met this Wednesday the team of specialists who advise him, and everything indicates that the restrictive measures in force will be extended by a week, such as the ban on parties and events, the closure of casinos and teleworking in the public sector.

There will be no more groups returning to school attendance for next week.“

There will also not be the return of more groups to the presence in schools for next week, as requested this Wednesday by the Association of Teachers of Uruguay (Ademu), which said that the progress of the virus is “not only disturbing, but alarming.”.

The health situation continues to be “complex,” officials said at the government’s meeting with the committee of scientific advisers, Uruguayan media outlet Subrayado reported.

The Uruguayan Medical Union (SMU) issued a statement Thursday faced the “extremely serious situation” and requested a meeting with Lacalle Pou and the health authorities, Sputnik news agency reported.

The text asks, in addition to the vaccination campaign, to adopt “Measures to drastically reduce mobility and close non-essential activities for a limited period of time, with the resulting financial support for those who need it”.

The Uruguayan Medical Union (SMU) has requested a meeting with Lacalle Pou and the health authorities.“

He also asked for a meeting with unions and organizations in the health sector “to discuss the tragic reality of health”. The statement urges citizens “to make a new and maximum effort” and the government “to introduce a change in the strategy related to the epidemic”.

The National Emergency System (Sinae) reported that Uruguay surpassed 4,000 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours by recording 49 more deaths, bringing the total to 4,022. Meanwhile, the number of accumulated cases has risen to 276,435 since March 2020 after the record high of 4,586, Sinae said.

If with this figure its total mortality rate (115 per 100,000 inhabitants) remains lower than those observed by its neighbors Brazil (213) and Argentina (166), the figure worsens considerably if we only observe the last few weeks.

With 22.2 deaths per 100,000 population in the past 14 days, Uruguay leads the global ranking of deaths from Covid-19, followed by Paraguay and Argentina, according to official figures, reported the AFP news agency.

The vaccination campaign in Uruguay is at a good pace, with 47% of the population vaccinated with one dose of Sinovac, Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines, and 28% with both.“

Yesterday, the secretary general of Ademu, Daysi Iglesias, warned that there was an “upward escalation of Covid cases and quarantine situations in public institutions”, after an investigation by the union in the public schools.

At the end of April, and in the midst of a significant increase in coronavirus cases, the government announced a gradual return to presence, but it only managed to start the stage with semi-rural one-teacher schools, and he deferred to the rest of the phases. Face-to-face classes were suspended on March 23 to observe the increase in cases.

The vaccination campaign in Uruguay has been at a good pace since it began on March 1, with 47% of the population vaccinated with one dose of Sinovac, Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines, and 28% with both.