Peruvian health authorities confirmed Thursday that the Andean nation has entered what is already considered a fifth wave of coronavirus infections, and have warned of the possibility of reintroducing the mandatory use of masks.
The Ministry of Health has warned that the Andean nation has registered a «very rapid and sustained» increase in cases, accompanied by a rise in the number of hospitalized patients and a «moderate increase» in the number of deaths.
According to the criteria of the National Center for Epidemiology (CDC), this increase meets the criteria to be called a «quita ola», said the director of the aforementioned agency, Cesar Munayco.
Munayco said that 24 of the 25 regions that make up the country have shown a sustained increase in positive cases of coronavirus, although he clarified that, unlike in previous waves, deaths have not increased dramatically, according to local radio station RPP.
Likewise, the person in charge of Health functions, Kelly Portalatino, informed that, depending on the evolution of the contagions in the next weeks, the authorities could decree the obligatory use of masks.
«If there is a doubling or tripling (of cases), there is a great possibility that the vaccination card with the third and fourth doses will be reinstated for events in closed places», added Portalatino.
In recent days, the country’s health authorities have confirmed infection figures of around 10,000 positive cases per day, in some cases exceeding this figure. Peru has registered more than 4.2 million infections since the outbreak of the pandemic, which has already left more than 217,000 dead.
