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News > Peru

Over 34,000 ‘Unusual’ Deaths Occurred in Peru During Pandemic

  • Nueva Esperanza Cemetery workers carry a coffin. Lima, Peru. June, 2020.

    Nueva Esperanza Cemetery workers carry a coffin. Lima, Peru. June, 2020. | Photo: Twitter/ @AbdulsatarBoch1

Published 2 July 2020
Opinion

Peruvian Health Minister Victor Zamora stated that his office does not consider unproven and unconfirmed deaths as COVID-19 deaths.

Peru's National Fatalities Information System (Sinadef) Thursday reported that over 34,000 'unusual' deceases occurred in Peru in addition to about 10,000 deaths due to COVID-19.

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According to Sinadef, from March to June of 2019, about 37,000 were recorded. Seventy-one thousand three hundred twenty-eight people died in Peru in the same period of 2020. The figure surpasses 2019 deceases tally in over 34, 200 fatalities, with only 9,860 deaths due to the virus.

According to the Prospective Group, the group of experts advising the government, the remaining 24,400 deaths are suspected of COVID-19, given the scarcity of evidence and the increase in asymptomatic cases. In June, Peruvian Health Minister Victor Zamora stated that his office does not consider unproven and unconfirmed deaths as COVID-19 deaths.

Sinadef reports 32,539 deaths since the early pandemic in the Peruvian capital, over 21,000 more than the 2019 toll. Lima's health authorities have recorded about 4,600 COVID-19 deaths.

Lima is the pandemic epicenter, with 60 percent of Peru's virus infections. Sinadef alleges there are about 17,000 COVID unconfirmed deaths. El Callao also shows the same pattern, with 2,200 unusual deaths.

World Health Organization (WHO) recommends governments to include undetermined deceases in COVID-19 tally, and to conduct an oral autopsy, trough data collection, and clinical signs.

As for Thursday night, Peru health authorities recorded 288,477 COVID-19 cases, 9,860  deaths, and 178,245 recoveries from the virus.

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