As a new wave of coronavirus cases washes across South America, Chile and neighboring countries hope that high vaccination rates will keep it at bay. The death toll will probably not be as high. Chile’s Health Minister sees this as a possible turning point in the country’s battle with the virus.
COVID-19 is once again surging across southern South America, with experts saying the virus won’t disappear anytime soon.
Associated Press reported that experts are concerned people don’t take the virus seriously anymore, which would complicate prevention measures. Compared to previous waves, current rates for positive cases remain lower, but experts said the sharp increase in infections is an unsettling reminder that the pandemic is far from over.
Within Chile, the number of weekly confirmed cases has more than doubled since the beginning of May. This steady increase is related to the BA.2 version of the Omicron variant. AP quoted Health Minister María Begoña Yarza as saying that these current events represent “an inflection point in the pandemic.”
🗣️At events, restaurants and bars, the mobility pass is often required as a health measure against the spread of the coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/3W0geZ64Vz
— Chile Today News (@ChileTodayNews) May 30, 2022
According to Reuters, Chile registered around 250 coronavirus infections per 100,000 people over the last seven days.Current infections are 20% of the peak and rising.
Health officials from Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay, however, are hopeful that high vaccination rates will keep this new wave from being as devastating as prior ones, according to AP.
Felipe Elorrieta, a mathematical epidemiology researcher at Universidad de Santiago said that there is always a lag between the increase in cases and an increase in hospitalizations. “Still, the death toll will be lower now,” AP quoted him as saying.
Chile has the highest vaccination rate in the region and the highest number of booster shots worldwide, with more than 80 percent of residents having at least a third dose, said Elorrieta.
Ishaan Cheema is an undergraduate student at the University of Calgary, studying Kinesiology, with a focus on Exercise and Health Physiology. He always had a passion for globalism and political journalism, which he explored through Model UN conferences, debate teams, and several other extracurriculars.