(CNN Español) – Guatemalan Health Minister Amelia Flores said Monday that intensive care units in the country’s hospital network are unable to cope with the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
Flores reported 17,000 infections in the last 15 days and expressed concern about the increase in cases among young people, as well as their mortality rate. The minister said that this increase was due to the fact that social distance measures and other health restrictions applied by the government were not respected.
Flores also assured in a press conference that covid-19 infections in Guatemala have increased in such a way that the country is once again facing a health crisis.
“Two weeks of sacrifice would have been enough to counter the contagion. However, this did not happen. The parties took place and we will see the spread in another 15 days “, the official said.
Who is responsible?
President Alejandro Giammattei announced new restrictions on Friday due to the increase in covid-19 cases. These include a 25% reduction in capacity in shops and restaurants. Also, limiting mass demonstrations and parties.
The health authorities consider that the population ignored the message. Minister Flores said that the presence at the shops last weekend was massive. “We hold owners or managers accountable for not respecting capacity in restaurants,” the official said.
Marta Méndez, the owner of a restaurant, expressed an opinion against the official. He says that since the beginning of the pandemic he has adapted to the new situation and that he has implemented measures in his three restaurants. “There are many of us who, a year ago, when the pandemic arrived in Guatemala, made efforts and learned to deal with it, we know what works. We all expected this maximum if the Government did not implement the measures in the last vacation “, he said.
The message before the holiday
On March 26, just before his annual vacation in Guatemala, President Giammatta invited families to leave prison and visit the beaches. “We hope that instead of seeing beaches full of garbage, we can see them full of people, happy, satisfied and enjoy this Easter without prison,” the president had said.
The president’s social media secretary, Patricia Letona, told CNN that “in previous weeks, people have been told that if they go out for domestic tourism, they should always keep up. Today we see that there was little collaboration and discipline from the population, which translates into illness and death.
The situation in hospitals in Guatemala
According to data from the network of hospitals revealed by the health minister, the public hospital San Juan de Dios, located in the capital, exceeded by up to 225% the occupancy of beds in critical care units for coronavirus. The situation is also alarming at the Western Regional Hospital, located in Quetzaltenango, with an occupancy of up to 160%, according to the official presentation.
A source working in the most important hospitals in the capital told CNN that the situation is increasingly critical and that many of these cases occur as a result of the holidays at this time. “There are many young people aged 17 and 18 in serious condition. Here we can no longer, there are not enough fans to solve so much housing. This is very frustrating, “the source told CNN.
Regarding vaccination, the minister assured that a batch of Sputnik V vaccines will arrive in Guatemala next week, although he did not specify the quantity. According to the portal of this ministry, so far 157,800 people who make up phase 1 have been vaccinated in the country. These include the medical staff, the first responders, the workers at the funeral homes and the workers at the health care homes.