Peruvian health authorities reported a record of 24,288 new cases of coronavirus, including his Minister of Economy, at a time when a third wave of the pandemic driven by the Omicron variant hits the country.
The figure reported on Tuesday night by the Ministry of Health, corresponding to the previous 24 hours, exceeds by more than 7,100 the record mark reached last Sunday of 17,128, and brings the total in Peru to more than 2.4 million from the beginning of its outbreak, in 2020.
The Ministry added that other 60 people died of Covid-19, double the 30 the previous day, with which the country of 33 million inhabitants already accumulates 203,157 deaths since the pandemic began.
In this framework, the National Civil Service Authority (Servir), the Peruvian public entity that exercises the leadership of the State’s human resources management system, urged the heads of public entities to provide the remote work application for employees whose functions are compatible with this work modality, as a preventive measure against the increase in cases.
SERVIR reiterates prioritizing the application of #Remotework| ‘The State must guarantee the continuity of services in favor of the citizenry, this also represents the balance point in ensuring and protecting the health of workers,’ he said. @xtianleonvilela SERVIR manager pic.twitter.com/aN9ulhjsmm
– SERVIR Peru (@SERVIR_PERU) January 12, 2022
For those positions in which remote work is not possible, other measures may be provided such as the application of mixed modalities, the license with enjoyment of having subject to subsequent compensation for the risk group and labor collaboration, said the Andina agency.
For its part, the Ministry of Economy announced that its head, Pedro Francke, 61, tested positive for coronavirus.
“The minister has all three doses and is stable, complying with health protocols and medical indications,” the Ministry said in a statement.
?The #MEFComunica the next: pic.twitter.com/xhhftq2fd1
– Ministry of Economy and Finance (@MEF_Peru) January 11, 2022
The Health Ministry said last week that the South American country is going through a new wave of pandemic after the New Year and Christmas holidays.
The infections are due to the expansion of the Omicron variant, highly contagious, in Lima, Callao and in different regions of the country.
In metropolitan Lima, 82% of new cases are due to this variant, according to the Ministry.
The Minister of Health, Hernando Cevallos, he told the press that Ómicron “will affect the entire health system of the country”, hitting mainly the first level of care in posts and health centers.
While contagions grow alarmingly, the Government of Peru announced that the tests for the detection of Covid-19 will be done only to those who have symptoms, and those people will also have to go through a medical consultation to determine if they can stay at home.
Cevallos also revealed that people with comorbidities and adults over 60 will be the priority for taking tests, with the idea of ”making the use of tests more efficient” and avoiding exposure to the risk of contagion.
Dozens of people make long lines to undergo discard tests and get vaccinated, in hospitals and vaccinations in the capital.
Peru has the highest mortality rate from Covid-19 in the world, with 6,122 deaths per million inhabitants, according to a balance based on official figures.
