SANTIAGO, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Chile on Sunday reported 2,082 new COVID-19 cases in a single-day, bringing the total number of people who have tested positive since the outbreak began to 330,930.
Also in the past 24 hours, 58 more patients died of the disease, taking the total death toll to 8,503, the Ministry of Health said.
According to Health Minister Enrique Paris, who presented the latest figures, a "slight improvement continues" in the number of new transmissions.
"New cases have declined by 19 percent in the past seven days," while "the rate of testing positive has reached a national average of 14 percent," said Paris.
The deputy minister for Aid Networks, Arturo Zuniga, said falling hospital occupancy bore out the falling rate of transmission.
Some 20,633 cases are considered to be still active, while a total of 301,794 former COVID-19 sufferers have recovered, the ministry said.
The government is poised to present a plan to gradually lift lockdowns in areas where the measures are still in place so businesses can begin to operate.
The so-called "new normal" phase following lockdowns began this week in two southern regions, where authorities allowed the reopening of restaurants, cafes and theaters but at a quarter of their capacity. Enditem
