Argentina sets new record for daily COVID-19 deaths

By Bala Chambers

LONDON (AA) - Argentina's Health Ministry on Thursday confirmed its highest daily coronavirus death toll since the start of the pandemic, registering 537 fatalities in the last 24 hours.

The death toll surpassed the previous daily record set on Oct. 9, 2020, when 515 fatalities were recorded.

According to the ministry’s data, the majority of the latest deaths were recorded in Buenos Aires province, Argentina's most populous area, where 134 women and 192 men died.

Thursday’s death toll was more than double Wednesday's count.

The Health Ministry also confirmed that 27,216 new COVID-19 infections were recorded in the last 24 hours.

Buenos Aires province registered 12,949 cases while Buenos Aires city recorded 3,560 infections in the last 24 hours.

Government data shows that bed occupancy in intensive care units across Argentina stands at 65.6% and in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area it is higher, at 75.3%

In recent weeks, Argentina has set new daily records during the second wave of infections.

As a result, tighter restrictions have been imposed in a bid to prevent movement and indoor activities in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires.

On Wednesday, Argentina's Health Minister Carla Vizzotti said Argentina was experiencing "the worst moment since the pandemic began," noting that Buenos Aires' health care system is at risk due to the rise in infections.

Vizzotti also described the Buenos Aires metropolitan area as "the epicenter of the pandemic.”

Argentina, with a population of over 45 million, has registered more than 2.79 million coronavirus cases and 60,620 deaths, according to Health Ministry data. More than 2.4 million people have recovered from the disease.