ROME. Covid-19 has made nearly 100,000 children orphans in Peru, the nation with the highest coronavirus death rate in the world. Peru leads the world in overall Covid deaths based on the total population, with more than 6,000 Peruvians per million inhabitants dying from the disease. Peru has 33 million inhabitants and is undergoing the third wave of Covid which has caused about two million infections. More than 202,900 people have died since the start of the pandemic. “Unfortunately, our country has over 98,000 children who have lost their father, mother or guardian during the pandemic,” said the minister of women of Peru, Anahi Durand, citing the figures published in the medical journal. The Lancet.
Vaccination campaign
Peru will buy 55 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine in 2022 to give medical staff and vulnerable people a fourth vaccination, the government announced. “We have agreed with several laboratories to purchase 55 million doses of the vaccine in 2022. This would allow us to apply a fourth booster dose for the most vulnerable sectors and for front-line staff (doctors and nurses)”, announces the minister of Health Hernando Cevallos. The minister adds that the vaccination of the population with a fourth dose, three months after the third, will depend on the evolution of the pandemic in the country. The minister also confirmed the acquisition of Pfizer vaccines and the start of vaccination of children between the ages of 5 and 11 in January.
Arequipa
Peru was also to host a planetary ecclesial event which was canceled. The coronavirus node could not fail to dominate even in the Pope’s warning on the scarcity of vaccines starting precisely from the fact that the culminating celebration of the 30th World Day of the Sick, “due to the pandemic, will not be able to take place in Arequipa in Peru , but it will be held in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican ». In the last month, infections in Peru have doubled to more than 1,500 per day, while deaths have increased to more than 50 per day. The South American country has banned family reunions and Christmas and New Year celebrations, and a curfew is in effect from 11pm to 4am. With these measures, Peru hopes to mitigate the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant. The Peruvian government has extended the state of emergency due to the pandemic until January 31st.