President Maduro Urges Strengthening of Capacity to Deal with COVID-19
On Sunday the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, announced three lines to address the COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela, including the reactivation of the highest level of medical brigades, the review of protocols in all health centers in the country, and providing the full capacity to care for people who have been infected with the coronavirus.
He highlighted that between the months of April and June 2020, the Bolivarian nation had 16 thousand active medical brigades throughout the national territory.
“As a result of the decrease in positive cases, we dropped from 16 thousand brigades to 12 thousand. At the same time, this is a lot. No country has that, only Venezuela, Cuba and ALBA-TCP countries,” he assured.
The Venezuelan President stressed that the Venezuelan method of 100 percent hospitalization, care, and treatment will continue to be implemented, and added that the country’s private clinics will be reviewed to avoid speculation in their prices.
President Maduro, in an order to carry out a new Sunday session to publicize reports of COVID-19 in the country, to continue informing the people of the economic reopening scheme in the fight against the pandemic, reported that this week they’ll begin the seven days of reopening, which is why he urged the people of Venezuela not to leave home if it isn’t necessary.
“The key to this stage is prevention and curative treatments. I say this to the world, to the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean: we must reach an agreement,” he said.
He regretted that Colombia doesn’t provide quality care to its citizens in the face of the pandemic. “Colombians are without a social protection system, without a state to take care of them, without public health. Someday Colombia will wake up and the way of BolĂvar will return.”
Likewise, he expressed concerned about the situation in Europe in the face of the pandemic. “The growth in the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and Portugal is impressive, they are already talking about the third wave, it’s very worrying,” added Maduro.
On the other hand, President Maduro announced that the Venezuelan government is studying the possibility of returning to the face-to-face studies for the country’s student population. “We are looking at moving to a partial face-to-face phase for students in study centers, schools, high schools and universities.”
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He highlighted that Venezuela is recognized worldwide for its implementation of the 7+7 reopening scheme, an effective method that has shown that with “discipline and public information we have reached 300 days of health consolidation in the face of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s why we must reactivate the medical brigades again to guarantee the health of the people.”
This Sunday the dignitary urged the secretary of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-Peoples’ Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP), Sacha Llorenti, to promote treatments for COVID-19.
“The ALBA has to walk in step to consolidate treatments against COVID-19,” stressed the head of state during a working meeting to control the pandemic.
He stated that the treatments for the fight against the coronavirus are of the utmost importance, and that “we must coordinate with the general secretary of ALBA to provide the necessary drugs to face the pandemic.”
Maduro emphasized that this year treatments for COVID-19 will acquire even more importance in the world. “Then we will move towards the vaccine and improved drugs,” he said.
He also indicated that Cuba is developing its Soberana-02 vaccine against COVID-19, and suggested the idea of ​​signing agreements with the island to acquire doses of COVID-19 vaccines and start testing in Venezuela.
Featured image: Photo courtesy of Prensa Presidencial.
Translation: OT/JRE/SL
