Most of these municipalities are in the South. Vaccination has been key. Guayaquil and Quito also register a significant decrease in cases.
Official figures show that the pandemic has contracted. In the last month, between October 9 and November 9, 30 of the 221 cantons of Ecuador did not report new confirmed cases of COVID-19. It is an unprecedented event in the pandemic.
These are small municipalities, whose population does not exceed 60,000 inhabitants, according to the latest estimates from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC). Most are located in the Austro, mainly in store.
Another area of the country where cases have been zero or very low in the last month is in the north of Guayas, southeast of Manabí and Los Ríos.
For epidemiologist David Larreátegui, from the University of Las Américas, these figures show that it is likely that the country has already passed the peak of cases caused by the delta variant of the coronavirus. This type of virus was first detected in Ecuador in mid-July.
What is expected, according to the specialist, is that from now on there will be regional outbreaks of COVID-19, while vaccination progresses. “What we are experiencing now is a decrease as a result of inoculation cases. (…) Probably we’re close to achieving herd immunity”, He concluded.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warned last week that, although vaccination has advanced significantly in the region and cases have decreased, biosecurity measures should not be ruled out.
In a statement, the deputy director of that institution, Jarbas Barbosa, said: “Progress in our region is not a reason to become complacent or discontinue public health measures that help keep us protected. It is essential that we stay the course until everyone is vaccinated and protected against the virus. “
Vaccination is key
Guamote is the most populated canton that has not registered infections in the last month. It is located in Chimborazo. It has 58,291 inhabitants, according to the latest population projection published by the INEC, calculated for the year 2020. There have been 195 cases registered since the pandemic began. The last one was reported on September 29.
The district director of Health of Guamote, Andrea González, highlighted that the vaccination in that canton has been a success. He pointed out that 30% of older adults have already applied the reinforcement. However, there are people of legal age who have not been vaccinated. “We are working with health promotion to be able to explain them about the vaccine and why they should access it,” said the official.
The mayor of Guamote, Delfín Quishpe, indicated that to advance with the vaccination, brigades from the Ministry of Public Health (MSP) are sent to strategic points, where people crowd.
In addition, the Municipality maintains socialization campaigns. “We have the municipal radio, permanent peripherals, WhatsApp groups and meetings with all the communities. We call on the presidents of each community to have training days with the right people from the MSP ”, he rescued.
In the Eloy Alfaro canton (Esmeraldas), vaccination is progressing at a slower pace. Verónica Paz, district director of Health of that town, pointed out that almost 50% of the inhabitants have accessed the complete vaccination scheme, but that only 73 people, who work in the health area, have received the reinforcement. “We have not had reports of older adults who have approached the health units (to receive the reinforcement),” said Paz.
Guayaquil and Quito
This year, the worst peak of the pandemic occurred in April. The spread of the virus caused the collapse of hospitals and, with it, deaths soared. In the most crucial week, the third of that month, the Civil Registry registered around 3,200 deaths, when in 2018 and 2019 the deaths were barely around 1,200 at that same time of year. In other words, in that tragic week, deaths grew by 144% with respect to historical records.
Now the situation is very different. The number of deaths registered in recent weeks is at the same level as in the years before the pandemic.
The contraction of the pandemic is also shown in the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in large cities.
In Guayaquil, for example, there has been a large decrease in cases. At the peak of April, in that whole month, 4,683 cases were registered, while in the last month (from October 9 to November 9) only 432.
Something similar happens in Quito. In April, 18,204 were reported, while in the last month only 4,034. (I)
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