Staff members wear protective masks in the boarding area of international flights at the Jorge Chavez International Airport, in the constitutional province of Callao, Peru, on March 6, 2020. (Photo by Mariana Bazo/Xinhua)
According to Vizcarra, the high number of new cases is due to a significant increase in testing among the population.
LIMA, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Peru detected 2,265 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of people who have tested positive to 9,784, President Martin Vizcarra said on Monday.
According to Vizcarra, the high number of new cases is due to a significant increase in testing among the population.
"Last Monday, I said we had taken 21,414 samples, that's to say that in three weeks we had taken samples from 20,000 people. Now, in a single week, we have taken samples from 60,000 people," Vizcarra said at a press conference.
To date, the Health Ministry has carried out 87,166 tests to detect the novel coronavirus, and 77,382 of the results came back negative, he said.
Of the total infected, 901 people have required hospitalization, 143 of whom are in intensive care.
The statistics show Peru is actually seeing a drop in the number of new infections and the rate of hospitalization, down from 22 percent to 14 percent, said Vizcarra.
Lockdown and social distancing measures will remain in place until April 26, and authorities will fine those who violate the quarantine or curfew, which runs from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m., the president said. ■
