Coronavirus: Outbreak gaining steam in Venezuela?

There are a handful of countries I felt for sure the coronvirus would spread rapidly once it hit them: Haiti, North Korea, Yemen and Venezuela. Who knows what is happening in North Korea, but the articles I've read from Yemen aren't encouraging. I'll need to follow up on Hati shortly. But today's post is about Venezuela. Per Worldometer, the country has far fewer cases than other Latin American countries that have much smaller populations such as Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador. But is this true? Maybe, as the country went into a strict lockdown, but there are a couple articles out about the city of Maracaibo that has a population of 1.65 million that doesn't paint a great story.


City of Maracaibo

From Web 24 News via Bloomberg:

. . . Zulia [the state where Maracibo is] now has about 600 confirmed infections, or 14% of the country’s total. The origin of more than half is derived from The fleas, a popular outdoor market in Maracaibo that stretches through garbage-covered streets where thousands of vendors sell fruits, meat, and household products. Of the 35 confirmed coronavirus deaths in the nation, 11 were infected in Las Pulgas.

. . . At the University Hospital, some nurses and doctors have completely stopped going, for fear of getting sick too, as they are forced to recycle face masks and wash their hands in buckets of water, said Hania Salazar, president of the Zulia Nurses Guild. .

The board of directors of the Zulia medical association said in a June 21 statement that 44 doctors had already contracted the respiratory disease. Two died and two more are in intensive care.

What's up with outdoor markets and the spread of the virus? We know there was also a recent flareup in Beijing that started in a food market. I suppose it has to do with close contact and the environment of those markets. And probably a lack of mask wearing. One wording I notice is "outdoor." The general consensus from what I understand is that it is difficult to get the virus when outdoors. There are also statements from health officials that indicate that COVID-19 didn't spread via recent George Floyd protests (with caveats). I feel like this "outdoor" issue needs to be kept in the back of the mind.

Also, as has occurred in other countries, medical staff are refusing to work. One has to wonder what "some" means? Is this a very small percentage or a large percentage of the staff?

Reuters also reported about the city:

“There are more deaths from coronavirus than the regime is announcing,” said Juan Pablo Guanipa, an opposition legislator who represents the state of Zulia. “The figures they are presenting are not credible.”

. . . In some cases, patients die of symptoms consistent with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, but their death certificates only refer to pneumonia or other ailments, according to two Zulia health workers.

Earlier this month, 20 people diagnosed with coronavirus demanded to be released from forced quarantine at the University Hospital of Maracaibo, complaining about lack of food and running water . . . Lacking protective equipment to prevent infection, the hospital staff had little choice but to let them out.

Okay, so that quote from an opposition legislator probably doesn't carry much weight, but the fact that 20 people who had COVID-19 decided to just walk out of the hospital indicates that the virus is probably spreading rapidly in the city. This indicates an inability to quarantine in the city.

Other Coronavirus Stores That Indicate Spread

Voice of America reports:

UNICEF has sent a third shipment of humanitarian aid to Venezuela to help the country cope with the coronavirus crisis.

A plane with 90 tons of medicine, sanitation and water supplies landed in the capital, Caracas, on Friday.

How far does 90 tons go? I have no clue, but the fact that this is the third shipment indicates to me that the virus isn't going away.

Reuters has this from Colombia:

Colombian President Ivan Duque on Friday called Venezuela a public health “time bomb,” and said the lack of reliable information about the status of its neighbor’s coronavirus outbreak was a worry as his administration tries to control its own infections.

Let's just say that Colombia has 20x the confirmed cases than Venezuela. So what exactly does this say about the level of confidence that Colombia has in the numbers coming out of Venezuela?

Maduro Claiming More Power

Is President Nicolas Maduro going with the idea that you don't let a good crisis go to waste? CNN reports:

A week earlier, the nation's highest court appointed the new members of the Electoral Council, a body of five officials tasked with organizing elections. Of the new magistrates, two previously served as judges in the same Supreme Court, and one is a former Socialist lawmaker who's been under US sanctions since 2017.

The court, which has traditionally supported the president, made the decision even though the Venezuelan constitution states the National Assembly -- which is controlled by the opposition -- should elect the members of the Electoral Council. The ruling was part of a pattern whereby the top court has refused to recognize the legitimacy of the assembly.

Yeah, Maduro just stacked things in his favor for the next elections.

If you click on the link, you'll also read about how Maduro went to the military to enforce acoronavirus lock down. Back in April 2019 when there was an attempt to over-throw Maduro, there was hope that some of those in the military would side with those who wanted to over-throw Maduro. I think the fact that Maduro was able to depend on the military to lock down the country probably indicates how much support he has with the military. The military does control what is left of the oil industry. Which politician lets your steal from the country is the politician you're likely to support.