SANTIAGO, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Chile's Health Ministry on Thursday reported 9,414 new cases of COVID-19 and 155 more related deaths in 24 hours, raising the total caseload to 3,426,147 and the pandemic death toll to 56,147.

       The COVID-19 positivity rate for the 24-hour period stood at 8.91 percent nationwide and 7.41 percent in the Santiago Metropolitan Region.

       According to the ministry's report, there were 37,204 active cases of COVID-19 in the South American country, with cases declining by 41 percent in the past two weeks as infections from the Omicron variant of the virus dropped.

       All Chilean regions have seen a decrease in cases over the last 14 days, with the region of Aysen registering the highest incidence rate per 100,000 inhabitants.