Peru has entered the fifth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Health Minister Kelly Portalatino, following an increase in confirmed cases over the last three weeks.
According to the Minister, a total of 6,541 new infections were detected, and nine deaths were reported between Tuesday and Wednesday.
According to the Health Ministry, Peru has had 4,252,383 cases and 217,414 deaths since the pandemic began in early 2020.
“According to the criteria of the National Center for Epidemiology, this increase can be called a fifth wave, estimated to be of lesser magnitude than the previous ones,” said Cesar Munayco, director of the National Center for Epidemiology, Prevention and Disease Control.
He stated that the increase in infections has been “very rapid and sustained,” resulting in an increase in hospitalizations and a “much more moderate” increase in pandemic deaths.
According to health officials, the new wave is primarily driven by the BA.5 sub-lineages of the Omicron variant.
