2020 coronavirus pandemic in Venezuela

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2020 coronavirus pandemic in Venezuela
COVID-19 Outbreak Cases in Venezuela.svg
Federal entities with confirmed (red) cases (as of 18 March 2020)
  Confirmed cases
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationVenezuela
First caseMiranda State
Arrival date13 March 2020
(5 days)
OriginItaly, Spain, United States
Confirmed cases36
Recovered0
Deaths
0
Official website
http://www.mpps.gob.ve/

During the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic, the first two patients with the novel coronavirus disease were confirmed in Venezuela on 13 March 2020.[1][2]

Venezuela is currently vulnerable to the epidemic because of an ongoing socioeconomic and political crisis, causing massive shortages of food staples and basic necessities, including medical supplies. In addition, the mass emigration of Venezuelan doctors has caused hospitals to deal chronic staff shortages.[3]

Timeline[edit]

January[edit]

The Ministry of Popular Power for Health announced that the Rafael Rangel National Institute of Hygiene (Spanish: Instituto Nacional de Higiene Rafael Rangel) in Caracas would perform the detection of other respiratory viruses based on non-influenza types, including coronaviruses in humans. It is also the only health institute in the country with the installed capacity for the diagnosis of respiratory viruses in Venezuela and is able carry out logistics in the 23 states, the Capital District and the Federal Dependencies.[citation needed]

February[edit]

In February 2020, the Venezuelan government announced that the country had imposed epidemiological surveillance, restrictions and diagnostic system to detect possible coronavirus patients at the Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, Venezuela's main international airport, and that Venezuela would receive a diagnostic kit for the virus strain from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).[4]

March[edit]

  • On 7 March, Fe y Alegría reported that a suspicious medical case was registered in Maracaibo. It involved a 31-year old foreigner, who entered the Dr. Pedro Iturbe Hospital in Zulia and was transferred to the University Hospital of Maracaibo. The patient had apparent symptoms and was discharged days later.[5] The state governor, Omar Prieto [es], asked the Public Ministry to investigate the University of Zulia professor, Freddy Pachano, for bringing attention to the suspicious medical cases in the state. The NGO Espacio Público condemned Prieto for ordering an investigation against the professor.[6]
  • On 13 March, the coronavirus pandemic was confirmed to have spread to Venezuela when its first two cases in the state of Miranda were announced by the Venezuelan government.[1][2] Colombian president Iván Duque announced the closure of the border with Venezuela, effective from 14 March.[7][8]
  • On 14 March, Communication Minister Jorge Rodríguez informed that eight new cases were detected in the country, located in the states of Miranda, Apure, Aragua and Cojedes.[9] Rodríguez further announced that effective from the next day flights coming from Panama and the Dominican Republic would be suspended for 30 days.[10]
  • On 15 March, Maduro confirmed seven more cases and ordered Venezuelans in six states and in Caracas to remain at home, and all associated businesses to close, effective the next day.[11] The "collective quarantine" made exceptions for transportation, health, and delivery of food.[11]
  • On 16 March, Argentina's ambassador in Venezuela, Eduardo Porretti, tested positive for the virus.[12] The same day, Maduro announced that 16 new cases were confirmed, a total of 33, ordering a "social quarantine" in all the national territory.[13]
  • Brazil authorities partially closed their border with Venezuela on 17 March.[14] Vice-president Delcy Rodríguez announced three more cases the same day.[15]

Responses[edit]

Executive response[edit]

On 12 March, President Nicolás Maduro had already declared a public health emergency in the country and suspended all inbound flights from Europe and Colombia for 30 days. Maduro also announced that public gatherings were suspended and that the government would be evaluating whether or not to suspend flights from other regions in the coming weeks. According to him, there had been 30 suspected cases in Venezuela, but they were ruled out after tests.[16]

After the first cases in the country were confirmed, Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez asked all the passengers of the 5 and 8 March Iberia 6673 flight to enter immediately in a mandatory preventive quarantine since the two cases were from this flight.[17]

Rodríguez announced that all classes would be suspended at public and private schools from Monday 16 March until further notice,[18] while Minister Néstor Reverol announced that the government would provide border control authorities with face masks, gloves and thermometers, without mentioning supplies for citizens and hospitals.[2] Reverol also announced that the operational control of all the police forces would be transferred to the Armed Forces in order to coordinate the action and contigency plan.[19]

On 14 March, authorities arrested two people for spreading false information about the virus, recording a video about fake cases in Los Teques.[20] SUDEBAN, the government's intendency related to banks and financial institutions, announced the suspension of banking activities effective from 16 March.[21]

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López announced that, effective from 16 March, the Armed Forces would control the access to the six states and the Capital District declared by Nicolás Maduro to be in quarantine.[22]

On 16 March, Maduro reversed the official position against the International Monetary Fund and asked the institution for a funding of $5 billion to combat the pandemic,[23] a first during Maduro's presidency who has been a critic of the institution.[24][25] IMF also has had conflicts with the Bolivarian government in the past, as Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chávez had pledged to cut ties with the fund in 2007, and the IMF suspended $400 million in special drawing rights during the Venezuelan presidential crisis in 2019.[26] The IMF rejected the deal as it was not clear, among its member states, on who it recognizes as Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro or Juan Guaidó.[27]

National Assembly response[edit]

National Assembly and disputed acting president Juan Guaidó said that the country is experiencing one of the most serious health crises in its history caused by the inactions of the Maduro government and announced a series of measures in order to take "responsible measures against the pandemic."[28][29] These include the postponement of opposition protests and the creation of the Special Health Commission.[8][28] In addition, Guaidó also called for the entry of humanitarian aid from the United Nations while explaining that health services are not impacted by international sanctions.[29]

The Committee of Electoral Candidacies, in charge of appointing a new Electoral Council, announced that it would suspend its meetings because of the pandemic.[30]

Julio Castro [es], head of the Special Health Commission appointed by Juan Guaidó, informed that face masks are a prevention measure useful only for at least one day, that once used the mask loses its effectiveness and can become an infection source, and declared that Venezuelans have to take additional measures to deal with the pandemic.[31]

National Assembly deputy Jesús Yánez announced that the government of Taiwan donated 1,000 surgical masks as a measure to prevent the coronavirus pandemic. The masks were distributed in five stations of the Caracas Metro (Plaza Sucre, Pérez Bonalde, Plaza Venezuela, Chacao and Petare). Yánez highlighted that the metro is a means of transportation used by a large part of the population and is a breeding ground for the pandemic due to the crowding of people in closed spaces if any positive case should become known.[32]

Guaido's Special Health Commission collected 3500 protection kits for caregivers at five hospitals on 16 March.[33]

Other responses[edit]

Baltazar Porras, Apostolic Administrator of Caracas, announced the suspension of ecclesiastic activities on 15 March, while assuring that temples would remain open and asking Venezuelans to avoid crowded places and to remain calm.[34]

Reactions[edit]

Government reactions[edit]

Maduro asked to not politicize the pandemic,[35] while he expressed concern as to how the country would control the pandemic becuase of the United States sanctions.[1] Maduro called on US President Donald Trump to lift the sanctions so the country could acquire necessary medical supplies. However, he did confirm that the governments of Cuba and China agreed to supply the country with some test kits and other forms of medical assistance.[1][failed verification]

Other reactions[edit]

The Venezuelan Medical Federation condemned that a medic in Zulia had to leave to Colombia after denouncing the situation in Venezuela for the presence of the virus,[36] and asked for the release of the political prisoners in the country, who are vulnerable to the virus, specifically Roberto Marrero, Juan Requesens and other lawmakers.[37]

In the Anzoátegui state, nurses denounced the lack of face masks, gloves and disposable gowns on 16 March.[38]

The United States Embassy in Venezuela rejected claims from Nicolás Maduro and Jorge Arreaza that sanctions are preventing the government from purchasing medical supplies, saying that “medicines, medical supplies, spare parts and components for medical devices in Venezuela, or to people from third countries who buy specifically for resale from Venezuela are excluded from the sanctions."[39][40] Former Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz declared that Maduro "lied" when saying that there were no medicines in the country because of the sanctions, saying that the reasons were incompetence and corruption.[41]

International concern[edit]

See also: Health care in Venezuela and Shortages in Venezuela

International concern was raised before the first cases were reported, as Venezuela's health care system has completely collapsed due to the ongoing crisis, meaning its already suffering population is especially vulnerable to the spread of a pandemic.[3]

Per the Global Health Security Index, Venezuela's health system is ranked among the worst in the world in its ability to detect, quickly respond, and mitigate a pandemic.[42] Hospitals are plagued by chronic shortages of supplies, including eye protectors, gloves, masks, and soap.[43] Due to ongoing shortages of resources, hospitals must also constantly deal with chronic lack of staff, thus making the response to treating a large number of infected patients significantly more challenging.[43] Patients are also often turned away at hospitals due to overcrowding, or asked to bring in their own gauze, IV solution, or syringes, while there are often no hygiene facilities like toilets, and power outages are a regular occurrence.[3]

The Pan American Health Organization said that it would be prioritizing Venezuela alongside Haiti and other Central and South American countries because of “challenges to their health systems.”[2]

Associated Press reported that experts are worried that the Venezuelan refugee crisis could worsen the spread of the virus.[8]

Statistics[edit]

COVID-19 cases in Venezuela  (
)
     Deaths        Active cases
Date
# of cases
2020-03-13
​
​
​
​
​
 2(n.a.)
2020-03-14
​
​
​
​
​
 10(+400%)
2020-03-15
​
​
​
​
​
 17(+70%)
2020-03-16
​
​
​
​
​
 33(+94%)
2020-03-17
​
​
​
​
​
 36(+9%)
Federal entity Number of confirmed cases
 Anzoátegui 2[13]
 Apure 1[13]
 Aragua 2[13]
 Capital District 11[13][44]
 Cojedes 1[13]
 La Guaira 5[13]
 Mérida 1[13]
 Miranda 13[13]
Total 36

Female-male ratio of confirmed cases: 1:1.[13][44]

As of 16 March, there were 33 confirmed cases in Venezuela. According to official estimates, among these, 28 came from Europe and 5 from Cúcuta, Colombia. Two of the cases consisted of foreign citizens, one of a diplomatic official, while the rest consisted of Venezuelan residents.[13]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Régimen de Maduro confirma dos primeros casos de coronavirus". NTN24.com (in Spanish). 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "Venezuela confirms coronavirus cases amid public health concerns". Reuters. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Venezuela Conducts 'Tens' of Virus Tests and Bans Europe Flights". Bloomberg. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Venezuela imposes entry restrictions over coronavirus". Prensa Latina. 3 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Detectan un caso sospechoso de Coronavirus en Maracaibo". Fe y Alegría (in Spanish). 7 March 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Omar Prieto pide investigar a profesor por denunciar casos sospechosos de coronavirus". Efecto Cocuyo (in Spanish). 9 March 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Duque ordena cerrar los pasos fronterizos con Venezuela". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Smith, Scott (13 March 2020). "Venezuela, already in crisis, reports 1st coronavirus cases". Associated Press. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Jorge Rodríguez confirma ocho nuevos casos de coronavirus en Venezuela" (in Spanish). El Caraboreño. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  10. ^ Torrealba, Diego (14 March 2020). "Suben a 10 los casos por coronavirus en Venezuela". El Pitazo (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Venezuela orders 'collective quarantine' in response to coronavirus". Reuters. 15 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  12. ^ "Embajador de Argentina en Venezuela contrajo coronavirus". El Nacional (in Spanish). 16 March 2020.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Maduro confirma 33 casos de coronavirus en Venezuela y ordena "cuarentena total" #16Mar". Runrun.es (in Spanish). 17 March 2020.
  14. ^ "Brazil partially closing Venezuela border, allowing trucks". Reuters. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  15. ^ "Quarantine threatens to deepen Venezuelan crisis as roadblocks snarl food supplies". Reuters. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  16. ^ "Venezuela's Maduro suspends flights from Europe, Colombia over coronavirus concerns". Reuters. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020 – via www.reuters.com.
  17. ^ "Gobierno convoca a viajeros del vuelo 6673 presentarse para cumplir la cuarentena". El Pitazo (in Spanish). 13 March 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  18. ^ "Anuncian suspensión de clases tras llegada del Coronavirus a Venezuela". Noticias de Venezuela y el Mundo - Caraota Digital (in Spanish). 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  19. ^ "Reverol: "No puede entrar ninguna persona al territorio nacional sin tapabocas"". Panorama (in Spanish). 13 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  20. ^ "Dos detenidos por difundir información falsa sobre el Covid 19". El Universal (in Spanish). 14 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  21. ^ "Sudeban informó que actividades bancarias estarán suspendidas desde el lunes (+Comunicado)". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 15 March 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  22. ^ "Padrino López: Fuerza Armada controlará acceso a los estados en cuarentena". El Pitazo (in Spanish). 16 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  23. ^ "Maduro le pide al FMI 5 mil millones de dólares para actuar contra el COVID-19". EFE (in Spanish). eldiario.es. 17 March 2020.
  24. ^ Berwick, Angus (17 March 2020). "Quarantine threatens to deepen Venezuelan crisis as roadblocks snarl food supplies". Reuters. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  25. ^ "Venezuela seeks emergency $5 billion IMF loan to fight virus". AP NEWS. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  26. ^ "Venezuela Requests $5 Billion from IMF to Fight Coronavirus". Bloomberg.com. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  27. ^ "IMF rejects Maduro's bid for emergency loan to fight virus". AP NEWS. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  28. ^ a b "Guaidó anunció una redefinición de la agenda de protestas por el coronavirus: "Es momento de que el régimen deje entrar la ayuda humanitaria"". Infobae (in Spanish). 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  29. ^ a b Rodríguez Rosas, Ronny (13 March 2020). "Guaidó anuncia redefinición de las convocatorias de calle por el coronavirus". Efecto Cocuyo (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  30. ^ Murillo, Yuskerli (16 March 2020). "Comité para designar nuevo CNE suspenderá reuniones". El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  31. ^ Escalona, José (16 March 2020). "Julio Castro: La mascarilla solo sirve para un día, puede ser un foco de infección si se usa varias veces #16Mar". El Impulso (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  32. ^ "Mil venezolanos recibieron donación de Taiwán para prevenir el coronavirus". La Patilla (in Spanish). 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  33. ^ Berwick, Angus (17 March 2020). "Venezuela expands quarantine as number of coronavirus cases climbs to 33". Reuters. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  34. ^ "Suspendieron actividades eclesiásticas en Venezuela tras brote de coronavirus". VPItv (in Spanish). 15 March 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  35. ^ "Maduro pide no politizar el tema del coronavirus mientras apunta el dedo a los EEUU y la oposición (VIDEOS)". Entorno Inteligente (in Spanish). 13 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  36. ^ "FMV denunció amedrentamiento a médicos tras estado de alarma por coronavirus". La Patilla (in Spanish). 14 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  37. ^ "Presidente de la FMV exhorta a que se liberen a presos políticos por coronavirus". La Patilla (in Spanish). 14 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  38. ^ Pellicani, Giovanna (16 March 2020). "Enfermeras denuncian falta de mascarillas, guantes y bata desechable en Anzoátegui". El Pitazo (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  39. ^ "Embajada virtual de EEUU en Venezuela se las cantó clarito a Maduro tras llorantina por sanciones". La Patilla (in Spanish). 14 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  40. ^ Embajada Virtual de los EE.UU., Venezuela [@usembassyve] (13 March 2020). "Medicinas, insumos médicos, piezas de repuesto y componentes para productos sanitarios en Venezuela, o a personas de terceros países que compran específicamente para reventa a Venezuela quedan excluidos de las sanciones estadounidenses. Para que sepan @NicolasMaduro @jaarreaza" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  41. ^ Pitazo, Redacción El (16 March 2020). "Ortega Díaz: Maduro miente al decir que no hay medicinas por las sanciones". El Pitazo (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  42. ^ "2019 Global Health Security Index" (PDF). 22 October 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  43. ^ a b "Buckets for toilets, recycled gloves: Venezuelan hospitals await coronavirus unprepared". Reuters. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  44. ^ a b "Vicepresidenta Rodríguez confirma 3 nuevos casos de Covid-19 en el país". VTV (in Spanish). 17 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
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