(Q24N) The Chilean Ministry of Health on Friday raised the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country to 122,499, with 1,448 deaths.
Over the past 24 hours, 4,207 new infections and 92 new deaths have been registered. Of the new confirmed cases, 3,790 presented symptoms while 417 were asymptomatic.
The ministry said that 1,521 people infected with COVID-19 have been hospitalized in intensive care units, with 1,291 patients on ventilators and 337 in critical condition.
Additionally, the ministry said that 21,780 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests have been carried out in the past 24 hours, with a total of 668,556 tests administered since the pandemic was first detected in March.
To date, 337 sanitary residences have been constructed to isolate people diagnosed with the disease. The residences provide “accommodation, food, and they have health teams in permanent contact with each of the people who live there,” according to Deputy Secretary of Health Arturo Zuniga.
Authorities have expressed concern over the high number of infections and deaths that continue to be registered in the Metropolitan Region, where the health system is almost at full capacity. Inhabitants of the Metropolitan Region will be under lockdown until next week.
In May, Chile saw an exponential increase in COVID-19 cases, with the largest number of new cases and deaths recorded since the pandemic began in the country.