MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Magallanes reports 32 new Covid-19 cases and two deaths

The two deaths occurred at the Magallanes Clinic Hospital

The Chilean Ministry of Health Office in the extreme south Magallanes Region regretted the death of two patients diagnosed with Covid-19 at the Magallanes Clinic Hospital, a 79-year lady and a man of 64.

The ministry on Tuesday also reported 32 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, following 568 tests, and of which 27 in Punta Arenas, 3 in Puerto Natales, and 2 in other areas. Overall the total number of positive cases in Magallanes since the beginning of the pandemic has risen to 29,871 so far this week.

The report also indicates that 111 cases remain Covid-19 positive in Magallanes, 99 from Punta Arenas, 7 from Puerto Natales, 3 from Cape Horn, and 3 from other communes. This means the daily positive index reached 5% on Tuesday and 2% in the last seven days.

Meantime in Santiago, the Health ministry called to reinforce self-care precaution measures after twelve cases of the variant Omicron was confirmed on Wednesday. All of them, but one, are travelers who recently arrived, or who have had close contact with the sick. If this is confirmed by a government investigation trying to locate the source of contagion, it would mean community circulation. The patient, a middle-aged woman did not have the third vaccine shot and has a morbid history.

Thus government insists on the use of face masks, keeping physical distance, and washing hands with soap and later alcohol gel. Chilean authorities are concerned that February could be a dramatic contagion month since it's when most Chileans take their summer holidays.