Covid-19 figures down in Paraguay, with country at lowest level of transmission

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Most of Paraguay’s 259 districts are at level 1 of transmission, the lowest, reflected in a drop in Covid-19 infections and deaths since the end of May, after daily peaks of 2,000 cases, the Ministry of Health reported Friday (17).

The new head of Health Surveillance Sandra Irala said at a press conference that 241 districts are at this level, while the remainder are spread among lower levels, but none at level 4.

This is consistent with the trend observed on Thursday with 2 deaths, the lowest number this year.

Thursday’s report showed a cumulative total of 16,120 deaths since the first cases were detected in March 2021, with 459,524 positives and 441,169 recovered.

Irala added that the Gamma is the predominant variant (73%), among the 4 circulating variants, while the Delta variant has an incidence of 11.5%.

The weekly media briefing coincided with the delivery of 44,460 Pfizer vaccine doses to Asunción’s international airport, part of the 1 million doses purchased by the government delivered in previous shipments.

The progress of the vaccination campaign, intended to immunize over 4 million Paraguayans out of a population of 7 million, was updated at the press conference.

Extended Immunization Program (PAI) director Héctor Castro said that 2,549,600 people have been vaccinated with one dose, and 1,848,148 with the full regimen.

According to the data presented, the Ministry has received 5,081,778 doses since last February, with a total of 91,000 doses in stock. A large part of the vaccines received came from donations from other governments, which accelerated the immunization campaign.

It also announced that on Monday the vaccination of youths aged between 18 and 19 with the first dose will begin, and that the pattern will be followed with adults aged 50 and over.

Vaccination was initially focused on the vulnerable, the elderly and healthcare workers, and was later extended to other age groups.

The government relied on the Covax platform from the beginning, which has pending shipments of the bulk of the vaccines acquired, over 4 million doses.

In this respect, Health Minister Julio Borba plans to meet next week with World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and with Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) president José Manuel Barroso, within the framework of the trip to Switzerland of Foreign Minister Euclides Acevedo, who will address the UN Human Rights Council, according to the Ministry’s announcement.