Covid-19: Bolivia sees 20% increase of infections, three regions in new escalation

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Bolivia reported on Monday, November 1, a 20% increase of Covid-19 infections in the last week, and the departments of Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, and Chuquisaca are facing a sustained escalation of the fourth wave of cases.

The epidemiological report of the Ministry of Health established that the regions that recently registered this increase were Santa Cruz with 27%, Cochabamba which reached 16%, and Chuquisaca with 6%, precisely the departments with more daily cases in the last days, while Pando, Beni, Tarija, and Oruro have also suffered increases between 13% and 114%.

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In contrast, La Paz and Potosidecreasedn coronavirus cases by -15% and -29%, respectively.

The Minister of Health, Jeyson Auza, pointed out that in Santa Cruz, Cochabamba and Chuquisaca there has been a “constant and sustained growth” and that mainly the first one, the hardest hit by the pandemic, is “on the way to a new epidemic wave with six weeks of constant increase”.

Auza detailed that despite this, the number of deaths due to Covid-19 “is not growing exponentially” due to a great extent to the vaccination, which has achieved 7,803,837 doses applied if we take into account those over 16 years of age and an approximate vaccinable population of 7.6 million.

Of that amount, since the beginning of the vaccination at the end of January, 3,627,590 first doses have been applied, 2,926,787 of the second and 329,432 third immunizations that were administered until this past Sunday, while 934,538 are the single doses.

The minister warned on several occasions that a fourth epidemiological event is practically imminent and could affect mainly those who did not get vaccinated. Hence, he asked to “deepen” the vaccination process.

In Bolivia, Sinopharm and Sputnik V vaccines are applied and acquired through state purchases, and AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Janssen vaccines arrived as donations channeled through the United Nations Covax mechanism.

Since the onset of the pandemic in March last year, the country has accumulated 18,928 deaths, 513,810 confirmed cases, of which 18,917 remain active.

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