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The current situation in Chile, where COVID-19 cases are on the rise and have put its health network on the brink of collapse despite its successful vaccination program, shows that previous preventive measures should not be abandoned, World Organization experts warned today Of the health.
“After the distribution of vaccines, there are those who stop complying with measures such as physical distancing, hand hygiene, ventilation or avoiding crowded places, and all this has to continue along with vaccination,” warned the head of the technical unit WHO anticovid, Maria Van Kerkhove, at a press conference.
“It could be expected that with the vaccinations the cases will go down, but they are only one of the tools to stop the infections and we cannot rely only on them, so please continue taking the rest of the measures,” insisted the American expert.
The situation in Chile has attracted the attention of the world press, which has focused its attention on why, despite the positive vaccination campaign, the country has the highest contagion rate since the worst moment of the pandemic, as the BBC recently highlighted. “The Chilean case illustrates the risk of putting all the hope in a vaccine and all the efforts in the speed of the inoculation”, highlighted for its part the German public media Deutsche Welle.
The director of Health Emergencies of the WHO, Mike Ryan, warned that other countries could find themselves in the same situation as Chile until the entire most vulnerable population is vaccinated.
He added that the Chilean health authorities “are taking appropriate measures” to deal with the emergence of cases.
The WHO adviser for COVID-19, Bruce Aylward, added that “vaccines are working very well, but we do not yet have enough to change the course of the epidemic”, so for now “we have to use them. intelligently “, directing them to groups such as health workers or the elderly.
Daily records
Chile is registering records of new daily cases – in fact and registered its peak of 7,626 infections – and an occupation of 95% in the beds of intensive care units, which has led, for example, to declare total confinement in the Metropolitan Region starting tomorrow, and other areas of the country.
The escalation of the pandemic has also put pressure on those called to postpone the elections for mayors, councilors, governors and constituents scheduled for April 10 and 11, even by figures of the ruling party who have asked to “put health first.” .
The worsening of this second wave occurs at the same time that Chile is one of the countries that is vaccinating its population the fastest: it has administered at least one dose to almost 40 percent of Chileans, a percentage that in the world is only exceeded by Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
It is also the country that vaccinates the fastest on the planet, with 1.4 daily doses per 100 inhabitants, figures that, according to observers in the country, could have led to an excess of confidence among citizens.
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