COVID-19 pandemic in El Salvador
The COVID-19 pandemic in El Salvador is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to have reached El Salvador on 18 March 2020.[3] As of 16 August 2020, El Salvador reported 23,193 cases, 618 deaths, and 10,977 recoveries.[4] As of that date El Salvador had arrested a total of 2,424 people for violating quarantine orders, and 278,445 people had been tested for the virus.[2] On 31 March 2020, the first COVID-19 death in El Salvador was confirmed.[5]
| COVID-19 pandemic in El Salvador | |
|---|---|
 Number of confirmed cases by department
1-99 cases confirmed
100-249 cases confirmed
250-499 cases confirmed
500-999 cases confirmed
1000-4999 cases confirmed
≥5000 cases confirmed | |
| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | El Salvador |
| First outbreak | Wuhan, China |
| Index case | Metapán, Santa Ana[1] |
| Arrival date | 18 March 2020 (4 months, 4 weeks and 2 days) |
| Confirmed cases | 23,193[2] |
| Active cases | 11,598[2] |
| Suspected cases‡ | 18,465[2] |
| Critical cases | 435[2] |
| Recovered | 10,977[2] |
Deaths | 618[2] |
| Fatality rate | 2.66% |
| Government website | |
| Official Statistics - Government of El Salvador | |
| ‡Suspected cases have not been confirmed as being due to this strain by laboratory tests, although some other strains may have been ruled out. | |
Background
On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.[6][7]
The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,[8][9] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[10][8]
Timeline
March 2020
As 6 March, El Salvador government declared yellow alert in the country a few hours after Costa Rica reported the first confirmed case in that country.[11]
On 11 March, after the World Health Organization classified COVID-19 as a pandemic, President Nayib Bukele declared suspension of all educative activities in public and private schools all over the country for 21 days, followed by a solicitude to the Legislative Assembly of declaring state of emergency and state of exception, in spite of not having any COVID-19 confirmed cases.[12] The Office of the Attorney for the Defense of Human Rights of El Salvador head, Apolonio Tobar, considered the actions taken by the government as "improvised". On 13 March, Bukele declared a red alert on the country.[12] As the night of 14 March, both decrees were approved, declaring state of emergency for 30 days and state of exception for 15 days, accompanied by prohibition of people circulation.[13][14]
On 16 March, a diplomatic dispute between El Salvador and Mexico developed when President Bukele accused the Mexican government of "being irresponsible" allowing a dozen people with COVID-19 to board a plane bound for El Salvador International Airport. Mexican foreign secretary Marcelo Ebrard said "all flights to El Salvador, including the one mentioned by the president [Bukele], have been cancelled"; furthermore, Mexican deputy health minister Hugo López-Gatell Ramírez denied the charge, and declared that tests showed the individuals in question were virus-free.[15][16]
President Nayib Bukele banned public gathering of more than 500 people, prohibited most international travellers and shut down educational institutions on 17 March.[17] An infectologist who avoided the quarantine after a trip to Germany is being investigated.[18]
On 18 March, President Bukele announced the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in El Salvador, which was detected in the Hospital Nacional General "Arturo Morales", in Metapán. The case was identified as a male and according to the General Direction of Migration and Foreigners (Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería) he was in Italy, where presumably he was infected[19][20] Two more cases were confirmed on 20 March.[21]
On 21 March, El Salvador declared a 30-day curfew in response to the coronavirus crisis.[22]
The government set up a website on 27 March for people to consult about government aid, but it collapsed over the weekend of 28–29 March.
On 29 March, the Legislative Assembly approved a new decree in order to extend the exception regime for 15 days more.[23]
On 30 March, hundreds of citizens defied restrictions and went to the streets to demand the promised help.[24]
On 31 March, the first COVID-19 death in El Salvador was confirmed—a woman over 60 who arrived from United States on 12 March who was classified in a critical state.[25][26]
April 2020
On 1 April, the government had established 96 centers (facilities) of quarantine, with 4,276 people being retained in them, according with the official website.[2] Furthermore, the second death was confirmed, an 89-year-old man from San Francisco Gotera, who resulted negative in the first test, but turned out positive in a second one practiced on 31 March.[27]
On 2 April, 5 more cases were confirmed, totalizing 46 cases in the country.[28]
On 3 April, the government confirmed the third death— a 60-year-old man who returned from the United States on 14 March, showing symptoms for COVID-19 and turned out positive on 30 March.[29]
On 4 April, the first two recovered patients were reported by the government. A 37-year-old man who arrived from Italy and a 46-man who arrived from Spain.[30]
On 6 April, President Bukele announced the obliged home quarantine will be extended for 15 days more starting from 20 April, this is because the last quarantine term would terminate on 19 April. President Bukele said he ordered the police to be "more strict" in order to guarantee the measures taken by the government.[31] The government also announced they have registered until that day 78 COVID-19 confirmed cases, also reporting one more death and three recoveries.[32] Furthermore, the fourth death was reported by the government— a 41-year-old man who arrived from Guatemala on 15 March.[33]
On 7 April, the fifth death was confirmed, a 69-year-old male surgeon who arrived the country from Canada.[34]
On 9 April, the government reported a sixth death.[35]
On 11 April, the government inaugurated two hospitals: the first one in Jiquilisco and the second in Tecoluca, with the purpose of attending up to 500 COVID-19 infected people.[36][37]
On 15 April, the International Monetary Fund announced the approval of 389 million dollars to El Salvador, with the purpose of strengthening the most affected places of the country.[38]
On 16 April, the Supreme Court of El Salvador ruled that the government couldn't confiscate vehicles, property or arrest people for allegedly failing to comply with quarantine order without congressional legislation approving the measures. Bukele stated his intentions to defy the ruling. Over 2,000 people had already been arrested for violations of quarantine restrictions.[39] Also, the seventh death was reported by the government, a 4-year-old child who died on Hospital Bloom.[40]
On 22 April, the government confirmed the eight death, a 62-year-old man who arrived from the United States.[41]
Following an outbreak of alleged gang violence in late April that killed 77 people, President Bukele imposed a lockdown on prisons containing gang members on 26 April.[42] Under the government's crackdown, gang members were locked in crowded cells for 23 hours a day; cells were barricaded will plywood and sheets of metal; mobile and wifi signals were blocked, and rival gang members were mixed together.[43][44][45] Human Rights Watch has criticized the treatment of prisoners as humiliating, degrading and endangering their health in the midst of the country's coronavirus pandemic.[44]
On 27 April, the ninth death was confirmed—a 48-year-old-man who had kidney failure.[46]
On 30 April, the tenth COVID-19 death was reported by the Ministry of Health—a 56-year-old man who was infected locally.[47]
May 2020
President Nayib Bukele's “containment centers” where thousands of Salvadorans have been detained for more than a month at a time without judicial review, came under criticism from human rights advocates. The government has reported 1,265 cases and 26 deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic as of 17 May.[48]
June 2020
On 22 June, President Bukele dedicated the first phase of the Hospital El Salvador, a permanent conversion of the former International Fair and Convention Center (CIFCO) in San Salvador. At the inauguration of the first phase of the hospital President Bukele claimed it would be largest hospital in Latin America built exclusively to treat COVID-19 patients, with a capacity of 1,000 ICU beds when fully built out.[49]
July 2020
Statistics
Charts
The graphs show the development of the pandemic starting from 18 March 2020, the day when the first case was detected in Metapán.
Sources:
See also
References
- "El Salvador registers 1st COVID-19 case". Xinhuanet. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- "Situación Nacional COVID-19". Gobierno de El Salvador. 16 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- Redacción (20 March 2020). "Nicaragua y El Salvador confirman los primeros casos del nuevo coronavirus". BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- Sosa, Eduardo; Carranza, Enrique (28 March 2020). "A 24 sube la cifra de contagios por coronavirus en El Salvador". El Diario de Hoy. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
- "El Salvador registers country's first coronavirus death". National Post. 31 March 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
- Elsevier. "Novel Coronavirus Information Center". Elsevier Connect. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- Reynolds, Matt (4 March 2020). "What is coronavirus and how close is it to becoming a pandemic?". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- "Crunching the numbers for coronavirus". Imperial News. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- "High consequence infectious diseases (HCID); Guidance and information about high consequence infectious diseases and their management in England". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- "World Federation Of Societies of Anaesthesiologists – Coronavirus". www.wfsahq.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- Delcid, Merlin (7 March 2020). "Alerta amarilla en El Salvador por riesgo de coronavirus". CNN en Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 April 2020.
- "Sin casos confirmados de Covid-19, El Salvador emprende drásticas acciones para afrontar pandemia". France 24. 14 March 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- López, Enrique (15 March 2020). "El Salvador decreta el estado de excepción para enfrentar la pandemia del COVID-19". EFE (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- "El Salvador declara el estado de emergencia para enfrentar COVID-19". Voz de América (in Spanish). 14 March 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- Redacción (17 March 2020). "La polémica entre El Salvador y México por un vuelo con supuestos enfermos de coronavirus". BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- Renteria, Nelson; Frank Jack, Daniel (16 March 2020). "Mexico rejects El Salvador accusation it let coronavirus patients board plane". Yahoo News. Mexico City. Reuters. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- "National Quarantine in El Salvador to contain the spread of the COVID-19". JD Supra. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- Delcid, Merlin (19 March 2020). "Investigan a infectóloga en El Salvador que burló cuarentena tras viaje a Alemania" [An infectologist in El Salvador who circumvented quarantine after a trip to Germany is investigated]. CNN en Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- Calderón, Beatriz (19 March 2020). "Lo que se sabe (y lo que no) sobre el primer infectado con coronavirus en El Salvador". La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- Gomez, Réné (18 March 2020). "Primer caso de COVID-19 en El Salvador pudo haber entrado por punto ciego en Metapán; se ha activado cerco sanitario por 48 horas en ese municipio". La Prensa Grafica. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- "El Salvador confirma 2 nuevos casos de COVID-19". elmundo.cr. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- Health, P. M. N. (22 March 2020). "El Salvador declares 30-day curfew in response to coronavirus | National Post". Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- Hernández, Wendy (29 March 2020). "Diputados aprueban nuevo decreto para mantener Estado de excepción por 15 días más". La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 April 2020.
- En plena cuarentena; salvadoreños salen a la calle y exigen a Bukele la ayuda que prometió Sin Embargo, 30 Mar 2020
- "El Salvador registra su primera muerte por el coronavirus". EFE (in Spanish). 31 March 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
- Tejada, Rossy (31 March 2020). "El Salvador registra primera muerte por coronavirus". El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 April 2020.
- Tejada, Rossy (1 April 2020). "Un hombre de 89 años es la segunda muerte por coronavirus en El Salvador". El Diario de Hoy. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
- Tejada, Rossy (1 April 2020). "El Salvador reporta cinco casos más de COVID-19 y eleva cifra global a 46 infectados: un contagiado se detectó en Lourdes". La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 April 2020.
- Redaction (4 April 2020). "El Salvador suma su tercera muerte por COVID-19, un hombre que llegó de EE.UU". EFE (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 April 2020.
- Hernández, Nancy (4 April 2020). "Dos de los pacientes confirmados de coronavirus están recuperados, según Gobierno". El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- "El Salvador extenderá por 15 días la cuarentena por el coronavirus". France 24. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- Tejada, Rossy (6 April 2020). "Gobierno extiende por 15 días más la cuarentena domiciliar obligatoria". El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- Rossy, Tejada; Hernández, Evelia (6 April 2020). "Un hombre de 41 años que ingresó de Guatemala es la cuarta muerte por coronavirus". El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- Hernández, Evelia (8 April 2020). "Un médico cirujano es la quinta víctima mortal por coronavirus en El Salvador". El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- Carranza, Enrique (9 April 2020). "El Salvador reporta la sexta víctima mortal por coronavirus". El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- Cortés Luna, Carlos (12 April 2020). "El Salvador inaugura dos hospitales para combatir coronavirus". AS USA (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- Sibrián, Walter (11 April 2019). "Coronavirus en El Salvador: así son los 2 nuevos hospitales que atenderán a pacientes contagiados en Tecoluca y Jiquislisco". La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- Castro, Lenny (15 April 2020). "FMI aprueba millonario financiamiento para El Salvador por pandemia". Voz de América (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- "El Salvador's president disregards top court rulings on coronavirus". Reuters. 16 April 2020.
- Gómez, René; Calderon, Beatriz; Alemán, Francisco; Velásquez, Mirna (16 April 2020). "Muere niño de 4 años por coronavirus en Hospital Bloom y ponen en cuarentena al personal de Salud, familia y vecinos". La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 April 2020.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- Sibrián, Walter (22 April 2020). "Reportan octavo fallecido por covid-19 en El Salvador: se trata de un hombre de 62 años". La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- Salinas, Jacobo García, Carlos (27 April 2020). "Bukele autoriza a la policía a matar pandilleros en El Salvador tras un sangriento fin de semana". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- "El Salvador gangs: 'No ray of sunlight for inmates'". BBC News. 28 April 2020. Archived from the original on 29 April 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- "El Salvador: Inhumane Prison Lockdown Treatment". Human Rights Watch. 29 April 2020. Archived from the original on 29 April 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- Kahn, Carrie (27 April 2020). "El Salvador's President Takes On The Country's Gangs Amid Coronavirus Pandemic". National Public Radio. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- Fonseca, M. (28 April 2020). "Hombre con insuficiencia renal es la novena muerte por COVID-19 en El Salvador". El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- Gómez, René (30 April 2020). "Covid-19: pandemia deja décima muerte en El Salvador". La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- News, A. B. C. "El Salvador quarantine centers become points of contagion". ABC News. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- "El Salvador inaugura primera fase de un hospital exclusivo para la COVID-19" [El Salvador inaugurates first phase of a hospital exclusively for COVID-19]. EFE (in Spanish). 22 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
