Argentina surpasses 3 million cases of Covid-19 and accumulates 64,252 deaths (May 2)

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Argentina registered 11,394 new cases of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus on Sunday, May 2, bringing the total number of positives to 3,005,259. At the same time, deaths rose to 64,252 after 156 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.

Argentina is in a high plateau of new cases after registering a daily record number of positives on April 16, with 29,472 infections.

In the province of Buenos Aires, 5,102 cases were reported this Sunday, while 1,700 positive cases were registered in the capital of Argentina.

According to the daily report issued by the Argentine Ministry of Health, 2,676,197 patients have already been discharged. At the same time, 5,371 people with a confirmed diagnosis of Covid-19 remain in intensive care units, one more than yesterday.

The occupancy rate of intensive care beds for all types of pathologies is 68.1% at national level, but 76.2% if only Buenos Aires and its populous periphery are considered.

So far, 11.24 million tests have been carried out in Argentina to detect the virus, of which 35,607 were performed this Sunday.

The dizzying increase of Covid-19 cases in Argentina in the last month led to an increasing level of bed occupancy in intensive care units.

Given this scenario, restrictions on night-time circulation in areas of high epidemiological and sanitary risk and other measures have been in force since  May 9. The government of Alberto Fernández decreed to be extended in Buenos Aires and its periphery and then extended until May 21.

The chief executive decreed that throughout the country, travel in groups, social gatherings of more than ten people, and the attendance to work of people with risk factors will be suspended.

In the “alert” areas, mainly in the city of Buenos Aires and its outskirts, no traffic will be allowed between 8 PM and 6 AM, public transport will be restricted to essential personnel, shopping centers will remain closed, and group sports will be forbidden, among other measures, including the suspension of classroom classes.

Meanwhile, a 29-year-old person who concealed his covid positive diagnosis and boarded a flight from Miami to Argentina was remanded in custody and is isolated in a hotel in the City of Buenos Aires under police custody, the National Direction of Migrations advised this Sunday.

Migrations indicated that it would also fine the airline for having let him board the plane even though the PCR is a mandatory requirement to enter the country.

VACCINATION PLAN

While facing the onslaught of the second wave of Covid-19, Argentina continues with its vaccination campaign against the coronavirus, initiated at the end of last December.

According to the latest official data, 8,017,536 doses have been applied so far. 7,041,249 people received the first dose of the vaccine, while 976,287 people have already been inoculated with the second dose.