Number of new COVID-19 infections dropped last week: report
Skopje, 21 September 2021 (MIA) – North Macedonia from September 13 until September 19 registered 3,340 new COVID-19 infections nationwide, down by 3.7% compared to the previous week, after a total of 28,972 swaps were tested, shows a weekly report of the Public Health Institute.
Positivity rate ranges from 7.8% to 14.3%, 11.4% on average. Most of the new confirmed cases were registered in Skopje, while Kavadarci reported the highest incidence.
People from all age groups tested positive with the age group of over 60 dominating. Least cases were reported among children under 9. “Compared to the previous week, a drop in infections in all age groups is registered, all but the age group of under 9, which reported an increase by 50.5% and those aged 10-19, which reported an increase of 8.2%,” says the report.
During the same period, a total of 3,441 people recovered from the virus after being hospitalized or self-isolating, down 12.8% compared to the previous week.
Also, 23 reinfections were reported last week, a decrease of 25.8% compared to the previous week.
Last week, North Macedonia registered 154 fatalities, most of them in Skopje (70). A majority were over 60 years of age, according to the report.
It also shows that the country until September 19 has registered at total of 187,068 COVID-19 infections since the onset of the epidemic.
Since the start of the vaccination campaign in the country on February 17, a total of 771,301 people have been vaccinated with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 681,474 people have been fully vaccinated so far. North Macedonia offers or has offered vaccines produced by Pfizer/Biontech, Sputbik V, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.
The basic reproduction rate (R0) in North Macedonia until September 19 stands at 0.99, says the Public Health Institute.