Given the sudden increase in Covid-19 cases and the most recent report from the Ministry of Health (Minsa) in which they announced more than 1,800 positive cases in the last 24 hours, on the morning of this Thursday, May 5, the director of the Gorgas Memorial Institute, Juan Miguel Pascal said that we are facing what will possibly be the fifth wave of infections in the country.
“We are definitely seeing the beginning of a fifth wave, that is, we cannot cover the sun with our hands, this increase, the positivity as it has been increasing all these days, week after week, is evidence that we are entering a fifth wave. , we do not know what the proportion of it is, it may not be as high and it will be contained soon, but we are really seeing that there is another wave due to the increase in cases, ”Pascale explained.
He specified that the increase is due to the social aspect, such as people going out, sharing during Holy Week, going to beaches, rivers and spas, returning to classes, among others, he also said that the Ómicron BA.2 variant is the which is increasing, because although it is not so serious, it is more contagious.
“BA.2 is more transmissible than omicron, so it disperses in the community much faster, it is not more pathogenic, it does not cause more serious disease, the vaccines work against BA.2, but more people are going to get infected,” he said. .
The Deputy Minister of Health Ivette Berríos also spoke about this increase in cases, saying that the opening of activities such as fairs, face-to-face classes and other events have resulted in a greater number of cases; however, she reiterated that the Ministry of Health is monitoring the evolution of the pandemic, with effective traceability identifying the infections and the people who may have been in contact with them.
He called on the population to continue wearing the mask and those who have not been vaccinated to go to health centers and established posts to get the vaccine against Covid and other diseases.
