Venezuela far from being able to cope with a coronavirus epidemic

Text by: RFI Follow

In Venezuela, anxiety rises as the coronavirus gradually spreads over the Latin American continent. No case has yet been diagnosed, but the country is not ready to face the epidemic between the various shortages and the catastrophic state of the hospitals.

Publicity

With our correspondent at Caracas, Benjamin Delille

Jorge, in his sixties, comes out of a pharmacy with two masks, one for him, the other for his wife. The old man does not hide his concern, and the crisis that Venezuela is going through does not help: “ Here, for example, there are a lot of water problems. Knowing that there is not enough water to drink, how do you want to wash your hands all the time as you should in this kind of situation. "

Food and medicine shortages

Adding food and medicine shortages, Venezuela clearly does not have the resources to manage containment and adequate prevention. Some pharmacists in the upscale neighborhoods of Caracas still took the lead.

“ We have the necessary equipment such as masks or antibacterial gel, these are products that we imported from the United States. What worries me is the state of hospitals, especially the public. They will not be able to cope with this epidemic. "

For example, more than half of hospitals do not have masks or two-thirds have access to water only twice a week. Figures compiled by Doctor Julio Castro according to which 80% of Venezuelan hospitals do not meet any of the preparation criteria required by WHO for the coronavirus.

►Read also: [Report] Venezuela: the dramatic situation of patients in hospitals

“ There is an instrument from John Hopkins University that ranks all countries based on their preparedness for infectious diseases. The ranking has 195 countries and we are 178th. Already plagued by malaria, measles and diphtheria, Venezuela finds itself well disarmed to deal with the coronavirus.

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• Venezuela
• Health and Medicine
• coronavirus

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