41 new coronavirus cases registered in Argentina, pushing total to 266

Health officials confirmed Sunday that the number of Covid-19 cases in Argentina had risen to 266.

That's a daily rise of 41 patients – lower than the previous day's high of 67 announced Saturday evening.

Of the new cases, 12 are patients from Buenos Aires City, eight are from Buenos Aires Province, eight are from Córdoba, seven are from Chaco, five are from Tucumán and one is from Misiones.

Experts again stressed that the majority of cases in the country were the result of individuals travelling to so-called "risk" or "affected" areas.

"At the moment, in Argentina most of the cases are imported," said a statement from the Health Ministry. "Local transmission is detected in conglomerates and a case of possible community transmission that is under investigation is being identified."

In total there are now 266 confirmed cases of the new Covid-19 coronavirus in Argentina. Four fatalities have been recorded to date – two in the capital, one in Chaco and one in Luján, Buenos Aires Province.

Along with Buenos Aires City, a total of 15 provinces have now registered confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Argentina (Santa Cruz, Tucumán, Buenos Aires Province, Córdoba, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, Salta, Jujuy, Chaco, Río Negro, Tierra del Fuego, Corrientes, Misiones, Neuquén, Mendoza and Santiago del Estero).

Globally, the total number fo coronavirus cases worldwide has risen more than 300,000, according to a tally by John Hopkins University, which tracks cases using numbers from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other sources.

Peak on way, say City officials

Diego Santilli, the deputy mayor of Buenos Aires City, said Monday that the capital is "prepared for the peak of cases to arrive."

"We buy more beds and more respirators – the City is prepared for the peak of cases to arrive," he said.

Amid the government's requests for individuals to stay indoors and self-isolate, Santilli said the City government was appealing more "to the collective conscience than to a state of siege.

He said all parties were putting politics aside to tackle the crisis. 

"Here there is no team from the Nation, another from [Buenos Aires] Province and another from [Buenos Aires] City. Today we are one team and we are together," he stressed in radio statements.

"I see Alberto leading the pandemic as the president of all Argentines. There is no place for the grieta," he said.

– TIMES/NA