Chile reports 7,326 new cases of COVID-19

SANTIAGO, March 28 (Xinhua) -- The Chilean Ministry of Health reported 7,326 new cases and 101 more deaths from COVID-19 on Sunday amid a new wave of infections in the country.

According to the ministry, a total of 977,243 cases have been reported in Chile, with 22,754 deaths.

Additionally, 41,767 patients are currently in the active stage of the disease while 912,058 people have recovered.

According to Health Minister Enrique Paris, cases have risen 11 percent in the last week and 32 percent in the last 14 days, and intensive care unit occupancy in the nation's hospitals has hit 95 percent.

Due to this, the minister urged citizens to respect quarantines and sanitary measures.

"We know that the confinement measures are very strict, which implies great effort on the part of the different sectors of the population. But at this time, it is necessary to reduce mobility to prevent the virus from continuing to spread," the official said in a statement.

Faced with the worsening situation, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera warned on Saturday that the coming weeks would be "difficult and painful," despite the advance of the vaccination program.