Chile reports 8,426 new cases of COVID-19

SANTIAGO, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Chile reported 8,426 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, reported Undersecretary of Healthcare Networks Alberto Dougnac.

The new cases, the third highest figure on record and the third consecutive day of over 8,000 daily cases, bring the total caseload to 1,369,756, the Ministry of Health said.

Meanwhile, another 119 deaths were also reported, bringing the death toll to 29,047.

Dougnac stated that 4,265 beds in intensive care units are currently occupied in the country, representing 96 percent occupancy.

"What worries us the most is the Santiago Metropolitan Region because the requirement for beds is higher, so we are continuing to work to increase the number of critical beds available," he said.

The Chilean government has begun to roll out "mobility passes," meaning people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can move between communities that are under total lockdown (phase 1) and those that are in phase 2, where the quarantine is implemented on weekends.