COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela

COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela
Line for gas during the pandemic in Miranda
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationVenezuela
First outbreakWuhan, Hubei, China (global)
Brazil, Colombia, Italy, Spain and the United States (imported)
Index caseMiranda State
Arrival date13 March 2020
(4 years, 8 months and 1 week)
Confirmed cases376,311[1] (as of 5 October 2021)
Active cases4137[1] (as of 5 October 2021)
Recovered357,339[1] (as of 5 October 2021)
Deaths
4,539[1] (as of 5 October 2021)
Territories
Capital District, all 23 states and 1 federal dependency
Government website
covid19.patria.org.ve
coronavirusvenezuela.info
Crisis in Venezuela
Causes
Effects
Events
Elections
Protests
Timeline
Armed violence
flag Venezuela portal

The COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first two cases in Venezuela were confirmed on 13 March 2020;[2][3] the first death was reported on 26 March.[4] However, the first record of a patient claiming to have symptoms of coronavirus disease dates back to 29 February 2020,[5] with government officials suspecting that the first person carrying the virus could have entered the country as early as 25 February.[6]

Venezuela is particularly vulnerable to the wider effects of the pandemic because of its ongoing socioeconomic and political crisis causing massive shortages of food staples and basic necessities, including medical supplies. The mass emigration of Venezuelan doctors has also caused chronic staff shortages in hospitals.[7]

To prevent the spread of the disease into Venezuela, the governments of Brazil and Colombia temporarily closed their borders with Venezuela.[8][9][10] The Colombian government had placed 1 October as a tentative date for reopening the border.[11]

In February 2021, Venezuela started vaccinations with the Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine and a vaccine produced by the Chinese company Sinopharm. It aimed to vaccinate 70 percent of the population by the end of 2021. An academic survey found that by the 1 September 2021, 10% of the Venezuelan population was fully vaccinated.[12] By the end of 2021, Venezuela had administered 30,049,714 doses of vaccine, about 52.7% of the country's population.[13][14]

  1. ^ a b c d "Coronavirus en Venezuela: cuatro fallecidos y 492 casos nuevos este #14Nov". Efecto Cocuyo (in Spanish). 8 January 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Régimen de Maduro confirma dos primeros casos de coronavirus". NTN24.com (in Spanish). 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Venezuela confirms coronavirus cases amid public health concerns". Reuters. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Venezuela confirms first coronavirus death: official". Reuters. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  5. ^ María Victoria Fermín (29 March 2020). "Tercer fallecido por coronavirus en el país era un taxista de Antímano". Efecto Cocuyo (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  6. ^ Souquett Gil, Mariana (1 April 2020). "De marzo a febrero: versiones sobre la llegada del coronavirus a Venezuela". Efecto Cocuyo (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Healthcare was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :ET was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference RBR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Dinero (26 August 2020). "Fronteras de Colombia se mantendrán cerradas en septiembre". ¿Cuándo se abrirán las fronteras terrestres en Colombia? (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  12. ^ "Venezuela has fully vaccinated around 10% of its population, doctors group says". Reuters. 2 September 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  13. ^ "Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of): WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard With Vaccination Data". covid19.who.int. WHO. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  14. ^ "Venezuela: the latest coronavirus counts, charts and maps". Reuters. Retrieved 3 January 2022.