Peru, facing its second wave of COVID-19, recorded its record for coronavirus-related hospitalizations on Friday, with 14,333 hospitalized patients, the health ministry said.
In the past 24 hours, 213 new admissions have taken place, bringing the total number of hospitalized patients to 14,333, according to official figures. The previous record, 14,181, was reached on August 17.
The number of contaminations and the number of deaths have quadrupled compared to the last week of December.
As of Friday, Peru had 1,229,748 confirmed cases of Covid-19 (with an increase of 8,439 in the past 24 hours) and 43,255 deaths (up 210 in 24 hours), according to the report released by the ministry. Among those who were infected, 1,130,923 are considered cured.
The increase in the number of contaminations has led to a shortage of oxygen for medical use, forcing hundreds of Peruvians to queue to obtain it for a sick loved one.
Vaccination against Covid-19 for health workers began in Peru on Tuesday, two days after the arrival of the first 300,000 doses of the vaccine from the Chinese laboratory Sinopharm. A second batch of 700,000 doses is due to arrive by the end of this week.
No date has yet been announced for the start of the vaccination of the population. The objective is to immunize 26 million people out of a population of 33 million, as well as foreigners residing in Peru, mainly Venezuelans who number 800,000.
Health Minister Pilar Mazzetti also resigned on Friday, swept away by a political scandal, according to the public television website TV Peru.
On Thursday, a newspaper revealed that former President Martin Vizcarra (2018-2020) had been vaccinated against Covid-19 in October, a few weeks before his impeachment by parliament.
The former head of state, who is running for a parliamentary seat in the April 11 elections, defended himself by saying he had volunteered in the Sinopharm vaccine clinical trial, like thousands of others Peruvians.
Ms. Mazzetti, for her part, said Thursday before Congress that she had “no knowledge” of this case. She was appointed by President Vizcarra in July 2020.
His successor, to be appointed on Saturday, will be the fifth Minister of Health since the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic in Peru eleven months ago.