Covid-19: Bolivia reports 13% increase in cases last week

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Bolivia recorded a 13% increase in Covid-19 cases last week and completed eight consecutive weeks with a sustained increase in the number of infections. The Government reinforced vaccination and the distribution of medicines and equipment for the care of patients with coronavirus.

In the 47th epidemiological week, the country reported 6,682 new infections, of which 751 cases corresponded to the last day.

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“Bolivia is in the midst of the fourth epidemiological wave; this is the eighth consecutive week that we recorded an increase in cases nationwide,” said the Minister of Health, Jeyson Auza. Auza pointed out that “six departments registered an escalation of cases and three declines”.

In the nine regions of the country, Santa Cruz concentrates most of the daily cases with 513, followed by La Paz with 86, Cochabamba with 41, Chuquisaca with 35, Oruro with 15, Tarija with 14, Pando with 9, Potosi with 2. At the same time, the Amazonian department of Beni did not report any contagion.

The Minister of Health pointed out that Santa Cruz, the country’s economic engine, registered 54% of the cases in the last week.

According to the Ministry of Health report, Bolivia registered 715 new Covid-19 infections and seven deaths, bringing the cumulative number of cases since March last year to 536,472 and deaths to 19,161, with a case fatality rate of 0.8%.

Patients recovering from the coronavirus amounted to 491,946, while active cases stand at 25,365.

The ministry reported that 8,535,952 doses of the first, second, unidose, and third doses of the Covid-19 vaccine had been administered so far.

Some 4,050,365 people received the first dose, 3,140,566 the second, 981,754 the single dose, and 363,267 over 18 years of age were immunized with the third dose was applied during the whole month of October.

Immunization against Covid-19 began at the end of January with front-line health personnel. It was progressively extended to the population over 12 years of age, subject to the consent of their parents or legal guardians.

The vaccines used in Bolivia are the Chinese Sinopharm and the Russian Sputnik V, purchased by the government, and AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Janssen, which have been donated to the country through the World Health Organization (WHO) Covax mechanism.