Chile in 'critical' grip of second Covid wave despite one of best vaccination rates [View all]
A massive second wave of the coronavirus is gripping Chile, despite a much-lauded vaccination program that is the best in Latin America and one of the top worldwide.
Millions of Chileans are returning to full lockdown Thursday after health authorities this week ordered a return to Phase One restrictions.
The renewed order means 70% of Chile’s 19 million people will be confined to home under tighter measures, such as the removal of permits to visit supermarkets on weekends.
On Saturday, Chile recorded its highest number of daily cases since the beginning of the pandemic, 7,084 new Covid-19 cases, breaking the single-day record of 6,938 reported in June.
The second wave is edging the country's health care system perilously close to the breaking point. Critical bed occupancy is at 95%, and many medical staff members embroiled in Covid-19-infected wards for a year — sometimes working on complex cases beyond their expertise levels — have taken medical leave because of exhaustion and stress.
At: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/chile-critical-grip-second-covid-wave-one-best-vaccination-rates-rcna505
Chileans enjoy warm Southern Hemisphere summer weather in Santiago yesterday.
Despite one of the highest per capita vaccination rates in the world, Chile's daily Covid-19 infection rate is currently around twice the rate in neighboring Argentina or the U.S. on a per capita basis.
The trend has forced President Sebastián Piñera to impose lockdown measures covering 70% of the nation's 19 million people - including the entire Santiago metro area (7 million).
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