By Bala Chambers
LONDON (AA) – The death toll in Argentina from the novel coronavirus has surpassed 60,000 as the country battles a second wave of infections, the Health Ministry confirmed Wednesday.
Argentina's Health Minister Carla Vizzotti noted that the health care system was at risk in the capital Buenos Aires.
"Argentina is living through the worst moment since the pandemic began,” said Vizzotti during a daily briefing.
She described the Buenos Aires metropolitan area as "the epicenter of the pandemic.”
Vizzotti said that the country has seen an increase of new variants beyond the capital.
She also called on Argentines "to prioritize health over politics" following a dispute between the federal government and Buenos Aires city government over whether in-person classes at schools should go ahead during the second wave.
After news Tuesday that Argentina has produced the first local batch of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine at Laboratorios Richmond SACIF, Vizzotti called for caution, insisting that the Sputnik V doses still need to be checked for quality control purposes at Russia's Gamaleya Institute.
The minister also noted that Argentina is continuing to work in order to acquire more COVID-19 vaccines.
In recent weeks Argentina has set new daily records for COVID-19 infections.
As a result, it has imposed tighter restrictions in a bid to prevent movement and indoor activities in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires.
Argentina, with a population of over 45 million, has registered more than 2.76 million coronavirus cases, 60,083 deaths and over 2.4 million recoveries, according to data from the Health Ministry.
