Venezuela’s doctors fear the worst as the coronavirus pandemic approaches
In the seventh straight year of Venezuela’s bitter economic downfall, local doctors warn that this once-wealthy country has few defenses against the global coronavirus pandemic.
According to the administration of embattled President Nicolas Maduro, only 107 diagnosed cases of the coronavirus have been officially recognized so far; however the country’s testing capacity is likely low, considering that its crippled healthcare system cannot even guarantee electricity in all facilities.
Maduro’s government knows that the virus’s spread could spell exceptional troubles for a fragile population facing chronic shortages of basic goods as well as medical instruments. Last week, he called for an immediate quarantine across the whole country, a sign of the significant risks the virus poses.