Guatemala with 85 percent of its land marked red by Covid-19 – Prensa Latina

Of the 340 municipalities, there are currently 289 on high alert (85 percent of the territory and 26 others), 32 on high alert (orange) and 19 on medium alert (yellow), according to disease behavior between 6 and August 20. .

In the case of the province of Guatemala, the color of Frijan appears only in orange, while the other 16 municipalities confirm a high rate of positivity at the national level.

Other places in red are Antigua Guatemala and Sacatepequez; Tekpan, Chimaltenango; San Vicente Pacaya, Escuintla; Taxescu, Santa Rosa; San Pedro La Laguna, Solola; Columba, Quetzaltenango; Batulul, Suchitebekez; Ritalolo. Malacatán and San Marcos, mostly tourist destinations that are in high demand by both domestic and foreign visitors.

In a statement, the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (Mspas) once again stressed to citizens the need to follow biosafety protocols to mitigate Covid-19, with numbers ranging between four thousand and five thousand daily cases and a peak between 5000 and 5800, a challenge to the public health system.

Last weekend, the government decreed a state of public disaster and a nighttime curfew (which mainly occurs at dawn) to try to stop transmission not only in this capital city but in rural areas, but it has drawn more criticism against the handling of the pandemic and resources since March last year. .

The day before, the Executive had not obtained the required confidence vote from Congress to approve this measure, as it had not reached support for its passage in a national emergency and only reached first reading due to a lack of quorum in all three. The sessions were held.

However, the government insists that it is still in effect and has called for a cabinet meeting in the next few hours to inform a decision on the matter.

In this context of the health and political crisis for President Alejandro Giamatti – who has been facing strikes and demonstrations since last July – Mspas is speeding up its Covid-19 immunization plan amid questions about its sluggish coverage, which currently covers Guatemalans from age 25 onwards.

According to the latest report, three million 365 thousand 762 people have already been vaccinated, of whom two million 906 thousand 652 have been vaccinated with the first dose, but only 729 thousand and 110 have completed the program.

oda / mk