Santiago, Mar 28 (IANS): Chilean President Sebastian Pinera warned that the coming days and weeks will be "difficult and painful" due to the critical health situation the country is currently facing, with more than 7,000 daily Covid-19 cases registered in recent days.

"We know that it has been a difficult and painful year, and I want to be very honest: the days and weeks that come will be too," Xinhua news agency quoted the President as saying on Saturday.

"The reappearance of the pandemic has increased the number of infected and more people have had to be hospitalised, which is demanding to healthcare workers and the limit of our health system capacities, and they, despite all the difficulties, continue to provide care that patients need," he said.

The government has significantly increased the number of critical beds and is resorting to "all possible options" to be able to continue treating the sick, the President noted.

"Protecting the health and lives of all our compatriots is definitely our first priority," Pinera added

The Chilean Ministry of Health on Saturday reported 7,588 new Covid-19 cases and 66 deaths, bringing the nationwide tallies to 969,913 and 22,653, respectively.