COVID-19 pandemic in Peru

The official start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru is dated March 6, 2020, when President Martín Vizcarra announced the first case tested positive. The pandemic affects the novel disease COVID-19 . This is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the Coronaviridae group and belongs to the group of respiratory diseases . From March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified the outbreak of the novel coronavirus as a global pandemic.

course

The first case of infection was reported on March 6th. On March 30th there were already over 1,000, on April 15 over 10,000 and on May 6 over 50,000 infected. More than 100,000 infected people were counted on May 21, and more than 400,000 on July 31. After Brazil and Mexico, Peru is the hardest hit country in Latin America.

The first death was recorded on March 19. On April 8th it was over 100, on April 23rd over 500 and on May 1st over 1,000. On May 13th there were already over 2,000 deaths, on May 21st over 3,000, on June 6th over 5,000 and on July 2nd over 10,000 deaths. In mid-June 2020, Peru “overtook” Spain and Italy, measured by the number of people infected with COVID-19. At the end of June, Peru was fifth worldwide. At the beginning of August Peru “improved” to seventh place due to the negative development in the number of cases in South Africa and Mexico.

On July 2, 2020, the Sistema Informático Nacional de Defunciones (Sinadef), the national registry of deaths, announced that there was a total excess mortality of around 34,300 deaths in the months from March to June 2020 compared to the average of deaths in the same period of the years 2018 and 2019. Since it was known that around 10,000 people in Peru had died as a result of a COVID-19 infection by this day, the remaining excess mortality of around 24,300 deaths suggests that COVID-19 infections of the deceased were not detected, and / or that people died of other diseases because they did not receive medical help due to the restrictions in the health system.

Measures and problem areas

General situation

The Peruvian government responded earlier and with stricter measures than most other South American countries. With effect from March 16, 2020, the Peruvian government declared a national emergency and imposed a curfew known as "compulsory social isolation (quarantine)". All persons in the country are bound by this ordinance and must stay at home or in an accommodation at fixed times (nightly curfew of different lengths depending on the part of the country and all day on Sundays). In addition, leaving the accommodation is only permitted “on special occasions”: grocery shopping, banking, or visits to the pharmacy and doctor. These provisions initially applied until April 12, 2020, after which the period of validity of the ordinance was extended several times, most recently until June 30, 2020. Since April 3, 2020, the ban on leaving the apartment applied alternately to women and men. The differentiation of the curfew by gender was later lifted.

Despite these measures, the number of people infected with COVID-19 continued to rise in April, May and June 2020. The hospitals could no longer accept all the sick. On May 23, according to the head of the crisis team of the Peruvian government, 80% of the intensive care beds in the Lima metropolitan area ( Área Metropolitana de Lima ) were occupied - even though more than 200,000 people had been sent back to their rural hometowns. The pandemic revealed the shortcomings of the health system in the lowlands of northeast and eastern Peru, for example in Iquitos, even more drastically .

As of July 1, the comprehensive curfew was relaxed or differentiated through a “focused curfew”. Since then, the general curfew only applies to children up to the age of 14 and people over 65 years of age. The general Sunday curfew only existed in the seven regions of Ancash , Arequipa , Huánuco , Ica , Junín , Madre de Dios and San Martín . With effect from August 16, President Vizcarra lifted individual easing of the curfew in view of the increasing number of infections; it has since been valid again nationwide on Sundays.

In addition to the many losers of the crisis, there are also winners - as in any crisis - including the sellers of the scarce oxygen bottles and those who fill oxygen bottles. The price gouging was made easier by the fact that two companies control 90% of the oxygen market in Peru: Linde and Air Products .

Situation for travelers from other countries

The spread of the pandemic also led to increased entry controls with health checks and entry and exit bans in Peru. From March 16, 2020, flights between Peru and Europe and Asia were suspended, initially for a period of 30 calendar days. With the closure of the national borders, the international transport of passengers by land, air, sea and river was made impossible. As a result, travelers were stuck in hostels and hotels. An end to the situation was not in sight for about three weeks because the cooperation between the employees of the embassies and the Peruvian authorities proved difficult and inscrutable: return flights, for example, were first approved, then the approvals were withdrawn or time slots were offered that were not were achievable. Since the Lima International Airport ( Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chávez ) was closed, most Germans and other foreigners were finally flown out of the Lima military airport ( Base Aérea Las Palmas ) thanks to the initiative of the German embassy in Lima .

As of August 15, 2020, the entry and exit restrictions continued.

statistics

The number of cases developed during the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru as follows:

Infections

Confirmed infections (cumulative) in Peru
according to WHO data

New infections in Peru
according to WHO data

Deaths

Confirmed deaths (cumulative) in Peru
according to WHO data

Confirmed deaths (daily) in Peru
according to WHO data

Remarks

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Cases reported to WHO by national authorities are listed here. Since the situation is very dynamic, there may be discrepancies or delays between the cases of the WHO and the data of national authorities as well as the information provided by other bodies, such as the Johns Hopkins University (CSSE).

On the feast of Corpus Christi , Archbishop Carlos Castillo Mattasoglio of Lima celebrated the service in memory of the victims of the pandemic. The cathedral was empty and full at the same time: empty because the faithful were excluded because of the curfew, full because the photos of 5,000 deceased filled the cathedral. This holy mass was broadcast on television and via several Internet portals and left a deep impression in Peru.

See also

• List of epidemics and pandemics
• List of deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic

Web links

Commons : COVID-19 Pandemic in Peru  - Pictures, Videos and Audio Files Collection

• World Health Organization (WHO): Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) situation reports on the website www.who.int (English)
• Johns Hopkins CSSE : Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases. (English)
• Website World of Meters : real-time data of the Corona virus pandemic (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Peru records first confirmed case of coronavirus, President Vizcarra says. Reuters , March 6, 2020, accessed April 9, 2020 . 
2. ↑ Covid-19: Causes. Pulmonologists online, 2020, accessed on April 5, 2020 . 
3. ↑ "Deeply Concerned". WHO speaks of corona pandemic. In: tagesschau.de . ARD , March 11, 2020, accessed on April 5, 2020 . 
4. ↑ WHO Situation Report # 193 of July 31, 2020
5. ^ ^{A b} Marc Pfitzenmaier: The new global epicenter of the corona pandemic. MSN , May 23, 2020, accessed May 23, 2020 . 
6. ↑ Coronavirus en Perú: 188 nuevos decesos y la cifra de muertos asciende a 11,870 , accessed on July 13, 2020.
7. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) situation reports. WHO, accessed on May 11, 2020 . 
8. ↑ Minsa reporta más de 10 mil fallecimientos en Perú a causa del COVID-19 , July 2, 2020, accessed on July 3, 2020.
9. ↑ Martín Vizcarra: Perú se convierte en el sexto país del mundo con más casos de COVID-19 al superar a España , Radio Programas del Perú (Lima), June 30, 2020, accessed on July 1, 2020.
10. ↑ Perú acumula unas 34,000 muertes 'inusuales' desde la llegada de la COVID-19 , July 2, 2020, accessed on July 3, 2020.
11. ↑ Christoph Gurk: Coronavirus in Latin America: Men on Fridays, women on Saturdays. Süddeutsche Zeitung , April 3, 2020, accessed on April 4, 2020 . 
12. ↑ Martín Vizcarra: Pasamos de cuarentena general a focalizada , Diario Correo (Lima), June 30, 2020, accessed on July 1, 2020.
13. ↑ Todo lo que debes de saber sobre la cuarentena focalizada y la ampliación del estado de emergencia , El Comercio , June 29, 2020, accessed on July 1, 2020.
14. ↑ Martín Vizcarra ordena la inmovilización total de los domingos tras aumento de contagios , perú21, August 12, 2020.
15. ↑ Denis Düttmann: No air to breathe: Peru runs out of oxygen in the corona crisis. In: Berliner Zeitung , June 28, 2020, accessed on July 1, 2020.
16. ↑ Dos compañías global dominan negocio del oxgeno con el sector salud de Perú. June 2, 2020, accessed July 1, 2020.
17. ↑ Ivo Stephan Marusczyk: Corona - A hostel as a prison. Deutschlandfunk - Everything of relevance, April 10, 2020, accessed on April 10, 2020 . 
18. ↑ Federal Foreign Office: Peru: Travel and Safety Instructions , accessed on August 15, 2020.
19. ↑ Catedral de Lima amaneció revestida con más de 5 mil fotografías de difuntos por Covid-19 , June 14, 2020, accessed on July 11, 2020.