Argentina reports 4,647 new cases and 71 deaths from covid-19

Buenos Aires, 14 Mar Argentina reported 4,647 new cases of covid-19 on Monday, bringing the total number of positives to 8,976,079, while deaths rose to 127,257 after 71 deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours. The figures mark an increase compared to the infections reported on Sunday, when 1,236 positives were reported, although on weekends the numbers are usually lower. According to official figures, 8.7 million people were infected and have been discharged, while the number of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of coronavirus who remain admitted to intensive care units this Monday was 768, well below the peak of 7,969 reported on June 14, 2021. The percentage of bed occupancy in intensive care units for all types of diseases is 38.9% nationwide and 40.1% if only Buenos Aires and its periphery are considered. Since the end of December, the South American country has been going through a “third wave” of the pandemic motivated by the community spread of the omicron variant, although the number of positives has gradually decreased in recent weeks. Argentina recorded a record 139,853 cases a day on January 14. With 45 million inhabitants, the South American country continues its vaccination campaign against the coronavirus started in late 2020. According to the latest official data, 95 million doses have been applied so far. A total of 40.5 million people received the first dose of the vaccine, while 36.6 million were already inoculated with the second dose. In addition, 3 million Argentines received an additional third dose and another 14.8 million a booster dose, as part of the vaccination strategy launched last October to strengthen the immunity of the population.