SANTIAGO – The combined number of patients who have diagnosed with the novel coronavirus in Chile has reached to 242,355, some four thousand more cases than in Italy that is one of the worst-hit nations in the world.
The ministry of health on Sunday explained that in the last 24 hours, a total of 5,607 new cases of COVID-19 were registered in the country. Of the new cases, 4,181 were symptomatic, 594 asymptomatic and 832 people who have not yet been notified of their results.
The ministry added that 184 new deaths were registered in the Civil Registry, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related fatalities to 4,479.
Chile, which ranks 8th in the list of countries with highest number of coronavirus cases, has up to now conducted nearly 945,000 tests for COVID-19 since it has been hit by the merciless pandemic on March 2020.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health Enrique Paris announced that the total quarantine extends to the communes of Antofagasta, Tocopilla and Mejillones starting next Tuesday, at 10:00 p.m.
Separately, Defense Minister Alberto Espina announced in a news briefing stricter lockdown measures since “all of the measures adopted have not been enough to cut down on people going here and there. As of today, we have not succeeded in containing the transmission.”
Also on Sunday, President Sebastián Piñera led the enactment of the Emergency Family Income (IFE), which expands coverage both in amount and in beneficiaries, in addition to protecting the income of independent workers.
Gracias a la colaboración de muchos hoy compartimos con ustedes dos buenas noticias:
1. Promulgamos Ley #NuevoIngresoDeEmergencia
2. Ley de Protección de los trabajadores independientes.#JuntosPorChile pic.twitter.com/CIljFCkZl6
— Sebastian Piñera (@sebastianpinera) June 21, 2020
Yesterday, the Ministry of Health had published Epidemiological Report No. 27, which reports on how the pandemic behaves in Chile. For the first time, the cases of deceased who had a suspicion of COVID-19 were reported, raising the death toll to 7,144 among those with positive PCR and people who could have died from the coronavirus.
The report also indicates that “in Chile, until June 18, 250,919 cases of COVID-19 have occurred. (231,393 with laboratory confirmation and 19,526 probable, without laboratory confirmation)”
The cumulative incidence rate is 1,289.5 infections per 100,000 inhabitants.
“The highest cumulative incidence rates per 100,000 inhabitants, according to laboratory-confirmed cases, are found in the Metropolitan region (2506.9), the Tarapacá Region (1,338.7) and the Antofagasta Region (865.6).”
Chile tightens coronavirus lockdowns as national tally tops 220,000
