Coronavirus in Bogotá: before an increase, the District would analyze new care measures

The agglomerations of December are passing a collection account. The numbers of infections are increasing. The mayor called for attention. In five days, 18,288 new infections and 193 fatalities have been known from COVID-19. Is the second peak of the pandemic anticipated?

The measures taken after the reopening of the city seemed to be on the right track. So much so that the second peak of the pandemic, scheduled for mid-November, was postponed. Keeping the emergency under control was in the hands of citizens and self-care. But December came and it seems that the guard was lowered. Today the picture tends to get complicated.

Pasture: Christmas can’t be like before

This is demonstrated by the numbers of new infections, which have been growing. In the last five days, 18,288 new infections and 193 fatalities were reported by COVID-19. On some days, the reports have even reached the levels that were experienced in August, during the first peak of the pandemic. The panorama is so worrying that Mayor Claudia López herself hinted that measures are being studied to counteract the situation.

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“We have been considerate of families and businesses this Christmas season, understanding the difficult year. But there does not seem to be a conscious and co-responsible response and the contagion grows again in a worrying way. We will have to take more careful measures, “he said through his Twitter account.

And for some it was predictable. Despite the calls to people to stay at home, avoid crowds and comply with biosecurity protocols, which has been seen in different parts of the city during business days and even meetings at candlelight night, it seems, they are taking their toll.

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According to data from the National Institute of Health, this Saturday 4,155 new positive cases were reported in Bogotá, and 34 deaths. Although, it is worth clarifying that the figure includes data from previous days, which had not been reported, the truth is that it marks a worrying upward trend, which has been sustained in the last five days.

Last Tuesday, for example, the Ministry of Health reported 4,052 new cases and 28 deaths; on Wednesday, 2,892 infections and 36 deaths; on Thursday, 4,059 cases and 36 deaths, and on Friday 3,130 new cases and 56 deaths were reported. That is, in the last week there have been 18,288 new infections and 193 fatalities from coronavirus.

The pressure on the hospital system is also starting to grow. On December 1, of the nearly 1,900 beds destined to serve COVID patients, 1,156 were occupied. By Friday the figure reached 1,272, with an occupancy close to 65%. And as for the beds in the Intensive Care Units (ICU) it also shows. Of the 2,215 beds available, the month started with 1,499 occupied beds and to date there are 1,635, with an occupancy that reaches 74%. At this point it is worth clarifying that the figure corresponds to the figures of both COVID patients and other pathologies.

Pasture: Isolating yourself before Christmas: Claudia López’s request to families who want to reunite

In order to mitigate the impact, Mayor Claudia López had first asked people to avoid large family gatherings and voluntarily isolate themselves during the novena, to keep the numbers in check. And at the beginning of the week he had announced some measures such as that only meetings of less than 10 people would be allowed and that the sale of alcohol would be prohibited from 10 pm, until the occupancy of the ICU beds returns to below the 70%.

“We can take another step towards having a safe and happy Christmas, that we have nothing to regret, that the celebration does not cost us the illness of our father and much less the death of our grandfather. They are very simple recommendations that we are all able to understand, comply with, abide by and take care of ourselves, ”the president said at the time. He even pointed out that on December 28 there would be a review of the situation of the pandemic in the city, to make new decisions.

However, the panorama of the last week, it seems, forces it to advance that date of review of measures. The concern is latent and intense days are sure to come for those who decide to go out to do last minute Christmas shopping. Once again the call to citizenship is key. The behavior of the people will surely depend on how Bogotá will start in 2021.