Argentina recorded its 1,000th death from the novel Covid-19 coronavirus on Sunday.
Health Ministry officials said that the milestone had been reached after eight new deaths were recorded. The government also confirmed that as of Sunday night, the number of those confirmed as being infected by Covid-19 had risen to 42,785.
Officials also noted that of the total number of confirmed cases, 12,728 people had recovered.
The case-fatality ratio or number of fatalities per registered cases now amounts to 2.4 percent, or 21.9 deaths per million inhabitants, said the Deputy Secretary of Health Strategies, Alejandro Costa, as quoted by the Télam state news agency.
The curve of coronavirus cases has been accelerating in Argentina over the past two weeks – even President Alberto Fernández has been ordered by his doctors to limit his activities to avoid contagion.
The measure was taken against "the progression in the number of positive cases registered in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area that show a significant increase in viral circulation," according to the official statement signed by Federico Saavedra, head of the Presidential Medical Unit.
The president must "restrict interpersonal contact as much as possible," in the context of "care to mitigate the effects of Covid-19," the statement said.
Fernández, 61, had been carrying out official visits and even tours in cities in provinces across Argentina generally accompanied by delegations of government officials, prior to the warning.
In recent days, several officials and political leaders – from both the ruling coalition and the opposition – have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Government officials, quoted by the TN news channel, reported that 95 percent of the cases that arose over the last 24 hours were registered in the Buenos Aries metropolitan area. The vast majority of residents in Buenos Aires City and Province have now been under mandatory lockdown for more than three months.
President Alberto Fernández will hold a meeting on Monday afternoon with Buenos Aires Province Governor Axel Kicillof and Buenos Aires City Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta to evaluate the future of the lockdown.
– TIMES/AFP
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