More from Author Ben Oakley here: https://globelivemedia.com/author/ben-oakley/
In the last 24 hours, 6,273 tests were carried out to detect the 1,131 new cases of covid-19.
Guatemala, Jan 19 – The Guatemalan health authorities reported another 35 deaths due to covid-19 this Tuesday, so the country has 5,313 deaths from this disease since it was detected in March 2020.
The statistics updated by the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance indicate that 150,277 infections have been confirmed in Guatemala, 1,131 in the last 24 hours.
According to the health portfolio, there are 9,370 active cases of the coronavirus and 135,594 people have recovered from the disease.
In the last 24 hours, 6,273 tests were carried out to detect the 1,131 new cases of covid-19.
Of the 35 deaths reported on January 19, most are the result of a delay in notification by health units nationwide, so they do not reflect the current mortality situation, authorities clarified.
Guatemalan Health Minister Amelia Flores told reporters that various measures are being analyzed due to the second wave of the virus that currently affects the population, but without going into more detail about the restrictions that may be imposed.
According to health authorities, the estimated cumulative incidence is 891.4 infections per 100,000 inhabitants, the mortality rate 31.5 deaths per 100,000 people, while the fatality rate remains at 3.5 percent.
Guatemala is the country with the most deaths from the coronavirus in Central America, followed by Panama, which is close to 4,700 deaths, but Guatemala has almost four times the population of Panama.
The number of deaths from the virus could be higher, since according to various experts there is an under-registration of deaths.
According to official data, 70 percent of the people who die in Guatemala from covid-19 are male and 28 percent are female. The remaining two percent has not been determined.
Of the total deaths that the Central American country accumulates, 2,592 have been registered in the department of Guatemala, which includes the capital, a territory with more than three million inhabitants. The figure is equivalent to 48 percent of all deaths nationwide.
The organization Laboratorio de Datos affirmed this month that in 2020 there was an excess of mortality in Guatemala since 12,575 more people lost their lives than the usual average of the last three years, according to information obtained with the National Registry of Persons (Renap).
Of that total of excessive deaths, the Data Laboratory warned that 7,439 are attributed to covid-19.
According to experts, the Ministry of Health reports fewer deaths because it does not have full coverage in the country, unlike Renap.