BUENOS AIRES, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Argentina's Health Ministry on Monday urged the country's youth to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) to the elderly, calling for "intergenerational solidarity."
The Health Ministry's Secretary of Access to Health Carla Vizzotti said it was essential "to work on prevention among the most active people, and interrupt these chains of transmission ... to indirectly protect those who are most at risk of suffering complications and dying."
The warning came as Argentina celebrated Student's Day and the arrival of spring (in the Southern Hemisphere) on Monday, with thousands of young people gathering at parks and plazas despite government recommendations to maintain social distancing and avoid crowds during the pandemic.
While Argentina's average COVID-19 mortality rate is 2.1 percent, that number rises substantially for people over 60, said Vizzotti.
At age 70, the fatality rate climbs to 10.6 percent in women and 16.3 percent in men; for those over 80, it is 16.8 percent and 26.3 percent, respectively; and for those over 90, it reaches 20.2 percent in women and 31.2 percent in men, according to the Ministry of Health.
In the capital Buenos Aires, some 600 inspectors were dispatched to parks and plazas to prevent gatherings of more than 10 people, and enforce social distancing and use of face masks.
Argentina has so far reported 631,365 cases of COVID-19 infection and 13,053 deaths from the disease. Enditem
