Down in Colombia, COVID has exploded, as we see in this report:
Colombia registered the highest number of COVID-19 deaths per capita over the past few weeks, according to the Johns Hopkins university.
The South American country, which has the fourth highest number of confirmed cases in the world, registered 43.1 COVID-19 deaths per million over the past week.
The country is currently experiencing the peak of the pandemic five months after the National Health Institute (INS) confirmed the first infection on March 6.
Bad news but not really unexpected, as many Colombian friends have told me.
Colombia, like most countries, is not really testing like we are in the US. In other words, the good and bad news of testing is that you will find out who is or is not infected.
Down in Colombia, and I’ve heard the same about Mexico, many people die but their death is not listed as COVID but rather respiratory issues or pneumonia or whatever.
Also, Latin American health care systems have been overwhelmed by COVID. It’s not a lack of capable doctors or medicine. It’s simply that public health care systems south of the border do not have the back-up options, such as President Trump sending a hospital ship to New York or Los Angeles. Add to this the lack of ventilator production and you’ve got some terrible problems.
So say a prayer for our friends in Latin America. It’s really “COVID bad” down there.
