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Venezuela's challenges to the coronavirus 3:10
Bogotá (CNN) - In the seventh consecutive year of Venezuela's bitter economic downturn, local doctors warn that this once wealthy country has few defenses against the global pandemic of the new coronavirus.
According to the government of the embattled President Nicolás Maduro, only 107 diagnosed cases of covid-19 have been officially recognized, so far; however, the country's capacity for testing is probably low, considering that its paralyzed health system cannot even guarantee electricity at all facilities.
Maduro's government knows that the spread of the virus could spell exceptional trouble for a fragile population facing chronic shortages of basic goods and medical instruments. Last week, he called for an immediate quarantine across the country, a sign of the significant risks posed by the virus.
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Calm before the storm
In the streets of Caracas the tension is palpable. The Government has put the military to enforce national confinement. Armed soldiers can be seen setting up checkpoints and taking service stations to ration fuel.
In public hospitals, where resources are already scarce, the sensation is of calm that precedes a storm. "The expectation for Venezuela is really a terrifying scenario," says doctor Christian Ramos, from the health insurance provider Universitas.
"If that is what is happening to Italy, with all the resources you have, imagine what could happen here," he says.
Dr. Martin Carballo, an epidemiologist at the University Hospital of Caracas, says that both doctors and civilians fear the consequences of the coronavirus. "It is no secret that we are not prepared for this," says Carballo. "There is a lot of fear, both in the general population and among doctors, a real panic about what might come."
The hospital where Carballo works is one of the few that the government has specifically designated to treat people who have contracted the virus. The University Hospital of Caracas faces the same shortage as the rest of the country: disinfectant, chlorine, surgical gloves, masks and money. But it is still way ahead of many other Venezuelan hospitals, because at least the administration of this hospital, with considerable effort, has been able to guarantee that the building has water and electricity.
Many of those who work outside of major cities are concerned that they will be left behind. In the remote town of Santa Elena de Uairén, next to the border with Brazil, Dr. José García sounds the alarm. "Management says they have provided our hospital with additional equipment, but that there are no staff to work with it," he said.
“We don't even have a pulmonology specialist. The closest city is more than 600 kilometers away, "he adds. "The government says that we are prepared, but it is always the same: improvisation and repression."
Venezuelans are unlikely to find help beyond their borders. On Wednesday, Brazil announced the "partial closure" of its border with Venezuela, allowing only Brazilian citizens and permanent residents to pass.
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"The Venezuelan people will go hungry"
An imminent danger could be the economic and infrastructure consequences for a population that is already struggling. Hunger is already a killer in Venezuela, and many people here depend on support networks. Few have the means to gather supplies for a self-quarantine of any time period.
"Venezuelans will go hungry, they will not have access to water and they will not have access to handwashing and some will soon become homeless, all of which is dangerous for the spread of the virus," said Marianne Menjivar, director of the International Rescue Committee for Colombia. and Venezuela.
Feed the Solidarity, a Caracas-based NGO that feeds more than 14,000 children in the capital's slums, says its volunteers are doing their best to maintain the service. Its soup kitchens now admit only five children at a time to avoid large gatherings, and they fear what will happen if the government orders a complete closure.
"If we have to close, more than 30,000 people in Caracas will be affected, with innumerable damages for the population," said volunteer Leandro Buzón.
Baudilio Vega, who runs a nursing home with 80 elderly people, in eastern Caracas, tells CNN that the kitchen is already running out of food supplies. It is concerned that donors and relatives supplying them may have to stop due to military transport blockages.
Political disputes continue
To combat the virus, Maduro applied for an emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) earlier this month and has demanded that the United States sanctions against Venezuela be lifted. But the IMF denied the request, citing the fact that its government is not universally recognized by the international community. Many countries around the world, including the United States and most of South America, question Maduro's power and have recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the country's legitimate leader.
The IMF cannot even consider Venezuela's request for help 1:33Maduro's political opponents accuse him of politicizing the crisis. Historically, U.S. Treasury Department sanctions include exceptions to allow the purchase of humanitarian supplies, but at the same time, Venezuela's purchasing power has decreased dramatically as it has been gradually weakened by most international markets. since the sanctions began in 2017.
Last week, Venezuela announced that it had received 4,000 diagnostic test kits for China's covid-19, a key international ally from Maduro.
"I hope this is an opportunity for the blockade against the United States to be removed," said Ingrid Sánchez, a member of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela. "We need the resources to buy medicine."
Juan Guaidó has established an alternative health commission to manage incoming humanitarian aid. As he has for more than a year, he has also called for Maduro's immediate removal from power and open the country to full humanitarian assistance, but the family appeal raises new concerns that the pandemic could become a new political battleground. between the two governments, with the lives of ordinary Venezuelans at stake.
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