In previous waves, there has been a lag between a rise in cases and hospitalizations 'and it's likely that the same thing will happen now,' said Felipe Elorrieta, a mathematical epidemiology researcher at the University of Santiago. 'What is protecting us from the serious cases is our high level of vaccination.' 'Sure, mathematically we doubled the cases but we're still talking about small numbers,' said Julio Pontet, president of the Uruguayan Society of Intensive Care Medicine who heads the intensive care department at the Pasteur Hospital in Montevideo.

In Uruguay, the number of beds in intensive care units occupied by patients has doubled, from 1.5 per cent in the beginning of the month to a little more than 3 per cent by mid-May. 'We are in a very different situation from the previous waves since so much of the population is immunized,' Claudia Salgueira, the president of the Argentine Society of Infectious Diseases (SADI), said. Officials are crediting high vaccination rates in the region as more than 80 per cent of the population in the three countries have received at least two doses. The high increase in cases has yet to translate to significant numbers of hospitalizations and deaths.

'The number of cases has really shot up.' 'There were numerous cases in my family after my birthday last week,' Marina Barroso, 40, said outside a testing centre in a Buenos Aires suburb. 'COVID is again on the rise in the Americas,' Carissa Etienne, the head of the Pan American Health Organization, said during an online news conference last week.ДЇor many residents in the region, the sharp increase has meant they suddenly have to think about the coronavirus again. The countries are part of a regional trend as cases have been rising across the continent. In Argentina, cases rose 146 per cent in the same period, while in Uruguay, the increase was almost 200 percent.ДЄlthough the number of positive tests remain far lower than in previous waves, experts say the increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is a reminder that the pandemic is far from over.ДЄrgentina's health minister, Carla Vizzotti, recently said that Argentina is 'starting a fourth wave of COVID-19' while in Chile, Health Minister Begona Yarza characterized the current moment as 'an inflection point in the pandemic' and in Uruguay, President Luis Lacalle Pou, said he was 'worried' and called on everyone to be 'vigilant.' In Chile, the number of weekly confirmed cases more than doubled by late May when compared to the beginning of the month. Newsletter sign-up: Get The COVID-19 Brief sent to your inboxД¬ases have been steadily increasing for weeks, largely fueled by the BA.2 version of the Omicron variant.But officials in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay hope high vaccination rates mean this latest wave will not be as deadly as previous ones.ДЄt the same time, there is concern that many people are not ready to once again take on the prevention measures that authorities say are needed to ensure cases remain manageable.

After a reprieve of months, confirmed cases of COVID-19 are surging in the southern tip of South America.

Prince lady cab driver official