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ARGENTINA | 27-08-2020 02:59

Argentina sees 10,000 coronavirus infections in 24 hours for first time

The Health Ministry reported a new record of 10,550 coronavirus infections in just 24 hours on Wednesday, lifting the total number of cases to date to 370,175.

Argentina recorded more than 10,000 confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday for the first time since the pandemic began. 

The Health Ministry reported a new record of 10,550 coronavirus infections in just 24 hours on Wednesday, lifting the total number of cases to date to 370,175.

Officials said 237 fatalities had been registered on Wednesday, lifting the death toll to 7,839.

Measured solely by the number of confirmed cases, Argentina now ranks as the 11th highest country worldwide.

Though the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA) – where around a third of Argentines live  remains the worst-affected region in the country, concentrating around 85 percent of all cases since March, in recent weeks numbers have risen in a number of provinces across the country. Notable outbreaks have been recorded in Jujuy, Córdoba, Mendoza and Santa Fe.

"The expansion trend of the virus is similar to that experienced in other countries in the world, in which the origin [of the outbreak] occurred in capital cities, with higher population density, and then spread to the rest of the territory," Buenos Aires Province Governor Axel Kicillof told the region's mayors in a teleconference call on Wednesday.

Amid the rise in numbers, Argentina's health system is being closely observed and managed. Officials said Wednesday that 58.1 percent of beds in intensive care units (ICUs) are occupied nationwide, rising to 66.7 percent in the AMBA region.

 

Residents in the AMBA region have been under quarantine lockdown since March 20, though some measures have been loosened. Nevertheless, many are becoming increasingly frustrated by confinement, with protesters staging a number of anti-government rallies over recent weeks.

 

– TIMES/AFP

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