Use of masks  urged as covid-19 cases mount

Among the factors  driving an increase in infections in the country during the sixth wave of covid-19 are the relaxation of biosecurity measures and the celebration of mass events.

The National Secretary for Science, Technology and Innovation, Eduardo Ortega Barría, added that there are people who already have more than 6 months since the last dose of the covid-19 vaccine, so the immune response has been declining.

He also recalled that two waves of infections by the disease originate in the country every year and that now the mask is not mandatory in closed spaces, but only in public transport, health facilities and food outlets.

The Ministry of Health (Minsa) since July 11 lifted the health measure of the mandatory use of the mask in closed spaces on July 11. In open spaces it was on March 29.

The infectologist, pediatrician and clinical researcher, Xavier Sáez Llorens, stressed that another aspect is the circulation of variants with greater transmissibility and partial evasion of immunity due to vaccination or previous infection.

The latest data from the Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Studies show that 59% of the sequenced samples correspond to the BE.1.2 lineage, a descendant variant of the Omicron variant.

It is a lineage that has two changes in the spike protein (Spike, protein S) called R346T and V445A, which have been associated with increased immune escape.

Immune escape refers to less effective protection in people who have been vaccinated or who have already been sick against certain viral strains responsible for covid-19. These people have developed antibodies that give them immunity for several months, which will wane over time.

The other lineage d is BQ.1.1, which is currently a variant of interest by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. That is, there are two different variants in circulation.

Sáez Llorens, says there must be greater emphasis on the use of a mask, especially for high-risk people.