SANTIAGO, March 13 (Xinhua) -- More than 1.7 million people in Chile have received both doses of the vaccine against the novel coronavirus disease amid an upward trend in infections, the Ministry of Health reported Saturday.
According to health authorities, 1,761,367 inhabitants have received both doses of the vaccine through the mass immunization campaign that began on Feb. 3 with adults aged 90 years and over. The campaign has continued to other age groups.
Chilean Minister of Health Enrique Paris said that a total of 4,789,553 people have received at least one dose of vaccine, with 17,418 receiving their shots on Saturday.
According to the government's immunization plan, five million people should be vaccinated by the end of the first quarter of the year.
Chile has been facing an increase in COVID-19 infections due to the end of the summer season and the beginning of the school year, leading authorities to tighten restrictive measures and resume quarantines in various parts of the country.
The Ministry of Health reported that as of Saturday, 885,379 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19, with 32,705 people in the active stage, and that the death toll currently stands at 21,574.