At a time of great health vulnerability, COVID-19 arrived in Venezuela, where hospitals are collapsed, there is a shortage of medicines and serious problems with basic services such as water and electricity. The crisis could be greater in a country like Venezuela, where preventable diseases such as diphtheria and measles have returned due to the deficient health system.
On Thursday, March 12, the government had not yet revealed the existence of cases in the country. On that day, Nicolas Maduro announced that a series of measures would be taken, such as the cancellation of flights from Europe and the United States. Many asked themselves what was happening with flights from other countries with cases of COVID-19.
Rumors have been circulating for weeks. Venezuela is a country of rumors, accustomed to the government not making announcements about reality. For example, in 2011 they denied on several occasions that the then president, Hugo Chávez, was seriously ill. The official news came months after the rumors.
Did the coronavirus arrive in Venezuela before the official announcement? The closed way in which the Maduro regime is handled leaves the possibilities open. It is not an attitude that is only observed in Venezuela. For example, China investigated one of the first doctors who warned about this coronavirus in December 2019, for spreading rumors,, later apologized to him, but the virus attacked him and at the beginning of the year he died.
Epidemiological and mortality data in Venezuela have not been published for several years. The lack of transparency and information on the part of the state is widely criticized, because without this information the advancement of the diseases is unknown, in order to achieve better control and offer adequate responses.
One factor that favors Venezuela is the low level of air traffic that currently exists. Although flights arrive from a large number of countries, several airlines have stopped working in the country, the reality of the nation dissuades tourists from visiting Venezuela, and many Venezuelans do not travel often either, so that little traffic can allow the risk to decrease.
On Friday, March 13, Maduro spokesmen reported the first cases. The two people had arrived from flights from Spain and the United States, the quarantine of those patients began and passengers on both flights were called to stay home as a preventive measure.
Not only is part of the airspace blocked, but also the border with Colombia has been closed since the weekend of the first report. Colombia has taken preventive measures because of the large number of people who cross the frontier daily to work or buy food in the neighboring country, which could be a major source of infection.
Reported cases have multiplied since the first announcement. The population and the government began to take more drastic measures. In the regions where cases were observed, a social quarantine was decreed and, 72 hours after the first announcement, a nationwide quarantine was announced, as the number of cases increased to more than 30 and a considerable number of further cases are suspected.
Bus terminals are closed, classes are suspended, commercial activities are ordered to be closed, and congregations are banned to prevent rapid propagation. The population is taking precautions. Many people have started to use masks when they leave their homes, and businesses that are open are more careful. In the first few hours, there was more activity in the purchase of food and masks, but in these last days masks and antibacterial gels are not easily available.
The measures can help prevent large numbers of people from attending health centers at the same time. The already-collapsed Venezuelan health system would not be able to cope with a massive influx of patients at this time.
The concern of international organizations about the pandemic is higher in countries like Venezuela, because of the low response capacity. The Pan American Health Organization will send, in the coming days, support missions to countries such as Haiti, Suriname, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Guatemala, because those countries are considered to be at greater risk of the coronavirus, due to their weaker health systems. The organization hopes to help monitor, detect and manage cases to ensure that adequate care is provided to save lives and control infection.
Deficiencies are exacerbated by the failure of services such as water. How can the main recommendation be followed to prevent infection? How can people wash their hands constantly if they do not have water? The lack of the vital liquid is not only in homes; many of the public hospitals do not have continuous water service so, for that reason, the health employees collect it in containers. Soap for proper washing may also be lacking, since inflation prevents a part of the population from having access to certain products due to the high cost of living.
According to the National Hospital Survey report, in 2019, a large percentage of the state’s hospitals reported water service failures, of which 70% have service one or two days a week, 20% have no water at all and 9% have water continuously. The operability of the ICU services is also a concern; the organization handles data of 10% to 20% of closed units and 10% to 15% of units with intermittent operation.
The shortage in hospitals has caused more than 2,000 cardiovascular deaths in 2019, due to a shortage of medicine and equipment, according to the National Hospital Survey. Additionally, there is a lack of basic equipment to protect healthcare workers.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, talks about human rights violations in Venezuela, after she made a report on the country’s situation. One of the aspects to highlight is the health system that has, according to the data, between 60% and 100% of medicine shortage.
There are measures that could prevent the rapid spread. Advice from countries such as Italy encourages taking as many precautions as possible from an early stage. The general concern in Venezuela is about a response capacity, expected to be insufficient, as well as the economic impact the virus will have on an already-affected economy. All that remains is to be patient, to follow certain recommendations and to wait for the number of cases to decrease worldwide.
Image credit: Juraj Varga