The coronavirus represents a difficult test for the entire planet. Countries with strong health systems have been hit, increasing concern about what may happen in other regions of the world. Some states in Latin America and Africa are more vulnerable because of the economic reality and poor health investment.
In Latin America, the number of cases continues to climb. The extent of the epidemic means that this region could be among the most affected. Some governments have responded faster than others with quarantine measures, but isolation cannot be applied by all, because many subsist on a daily basis and struggle to find food.
The economy in several Latin American and Caribbean countries is fragile; many depend on remittances, informal jobs or sectors under severe impact. Quarantine can become economically unsustainable for populations that cannot guarantee their livelihoods after several weeks of stagnation.
The health system in many of these nations is complex because of the low investment in public health, making it a major concern for global organizations. The Pan American Health Organization recognized Honduras, Venezuela, Haiti, Bolivia, Guatemala, Paraguay and Nicaragua as the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that face the greatest risks from the threat of COVID-19.
In these countries, health professionals report a lack of equipment, supplies and beds, and a shortage of cleaning materials and even of drinkable water. In Venezuela, for example, the vital liquid is not only lacking in rural or vulnerable areas, the water service presents failures in practically the whole country.
Remote areas and indigenous populations are also at serious risk, due to the limited access to hospitals with the appropriate infrastructure. In Chile, although there is more investment in the medical system, they have remote areas like Easter Island, one of the most recondite inhabited territories of the planet in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a five-hour flight from Santiago.
The COVID-19 arrived in Rapa Nui (Easter Island) a few days ago, but the first positive was not a tourist, someone who was in contact with a foreigner or a person who traveled. The fact of it being a local makes us wonder whether the coronavirus is more extensive than we know about, in a place that has limited health resources, a difficult access and suspension of flights, and where the first test result took two weeks to arrive.
In Brazil, a case of coronavirus was recently reported in an indigenous woman, raising alarms about the high risk of infection, the vulnerability and remoteness of these communities deep in the Amazon rainforest.
Another problem affecting some countries in the region is the social, economic and political crisis that coincides with the threat of the pandemic. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, in recent years it has faced a major earthquake, diseases such as dengue and cholera, problems of sanitation, malnutrition and political instability.
The reality of the coronavirus could be worse in Haiti, where some 10,000 people died of cholera a few years ago and the health system has already collapsed. No nation was prepared for this, but the severe impact that other countries are facing today can be multiplied in Haiti by the conditions it already faces as COVID-19 arrives.
Another country with a very weak health system is Venezuela, which in 2019 registered a significant increase in malaria cases. International organizations have recognized a humanitarian crisis due to a shortage of medicines, failures in basic services, collapsed hospitals and the high cost of living that prevents many people from accessing basic products.
The rapid increase in cases of coronavirus is a constant concern. In Guayas, a province of Ecuador, the health and funeral system has collapsed. People report through social networks and local newspapers that they forced to wait more than 48 hours to remove the body of their family members from their homes. At the moment, deaths from coronavirus in this area of Ecuador are higher than in some Latin American countries.
Quarantine can prevent the rapid propagation of the coronavirus but, given the economic circumstances, not everyone can follow the measures when a part of the population depends on the informal economy. The need for daily subsistence makes it difficult to comply with the requirement to stay in the household for continuous weeks.
The decisions of other countries with more flexible measures, such as Brazil and Mexico, have been questioned by the imminent increase in cases. The first weeks have shown the initial stages of the spread of the contagion throughout the region. It is not yet known how fast the spread will take place in the different countries and whether the measures adopted have worked. The real impact will be seen in the coming months, when many territories will not be able to receive the external aid they need, because everyone is facing a difficult situation.
Image credit: Наркологическая Клиника