SAN SALVADOR, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Hospital admissions due to COVID-19 in El Salvador are on the decline despite a recent spike in cases, Health Minister Francisco Alabi said Wednesday.
In an interview with a local radio station, Alabi said the increase in cases is due to "the circulation of one of the variants of concern" and attributed the decrease in hospitalizations to the progress of vaccination against COVID-19.
"If we compare the ratio of confirmed cases and hospitalizations between 2021 and 2022, it is clear that we have registered a decrease," the official said, adding that "being vaccinated has been fundamental."
Health authorities have confirmed that fully vaccinated people with two booster shots are the most protected against complications associated with the disease, he said.
To date, the Central American country has administered more than 10.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to its population of 6.5 million people, meaning more than 4.3 million Salvadorans are fully vaccinated.
According to official data, El Salvador has accumulated 169,646 COVID-19 cases and 4,141 deaths from the disease. ■
