This archive report was first published on 14 June 2020.
Chile's health minister, Jaime Manalich, resigned on June 13, 2020 amid controversy over the country's official coronavirus death toll.
The controversy arose after a report revealed that Chile had informed the World Health Organisation (WHO) that the death toll was actually more than 5,000, significantly higher than the over 3,000 lives claimed by the government since the first case emerged in Chile on March 3.
The report came from an investigative journalism organization called CIPER, which obtained a copy of the health ministry documents sent to the WHO.
Manalich had faced mounting criticism over the way the health ministry tallied Covid-19 deaths.
Deputy Health Minister Paula Daza explained the difference in the numbers, stating that the higher figure presented to WHO includes both confirmed and suspected Covid-19 deaths, while the government's daily report reflects only those cases confirmed by a test based on a nasal swab.
Chile has been hit hard by the pandemic, with a record 6,754 new infections and 222 deaths reported on June 12, 2020 over a 24-hour period.
"The situation in our country continues to rise, above all in the metropolitan region," health ministry official Arturo Zuniga said on June 12, 2020.
