SANTIAGO – Chile is set to face the worst of the novel coronavirus outbreak in the coming weeks, President Sebastian Piñera warned on Tuesday , as South American nation surpassed 31,000 confirmed cases of the virus .
“Over the next few weeks we know that we are going to face the most difficult times and the greatest health challenges in decades in our country,” Piñera said in a televised speech.
[VIVO] Supervisamos entrega de insumos médicos para combatir Covid19 #CuidémonosEntreTodos https://t.co/w8fxiRRm5a
— Sebastian Piñera (@sebastianpinera) May 12, 2020
Total cases since the outbreak began in early March have reached 31,721, according to the health ministry, while 335 people died from the disease.
This week, Health minister Jaime Mañalich said that a pilot plan was started to apply a rapid test in the nation to detect the presence of antibodies to Covid-19 in the population.
The measure began at the El Carmen Hospital, in the municipality of Maipú, in the Santiago region.
Chile, among the region’s wealthiest countries, has also been forced to backtrack on a plan to issue COVID-19 “release certificates” after the World Health Organization warned there was no evidence for claims of immunity after contracting the disease.
Nearly 6 million people, about one-third of the country’s total population, are now under total lockdown, and the country’s borders and most non-essential businesses remain closed.
