El Salvador government misrepresented Covid-19 statistics
July 18, 2023
The government of El Salvador has on record a total of 4,299 deaths due to Covid-19, but newly leaked documents show at least triple that amount, reports La Prensa Gráfica. Statistics from the Ministry of Health show a documented 7,525 deaths due to Covid-19, 6,979 suspected Covid-19 deaths, and 1,455 deaths of patients who had previously had Covid-19, far above the publicly-announced cases.
Front-line health workers and epidemiological experts had warned during the pandemic, primarily near the end of 2021, that statistics were much higher than the government had been publicly announcing. Cal State Fullerton Professor and El Faro columnist Dr. Ricardo Valencia on Twitter referenced the article and called El Salvador an “autocracy,” doubting official statistics published by the Bukele administration, including the often touted low homicide numbers.
More El Salvador
More than 100 Colombians were arrested in El Salvador for “alleged involvement in operating a microfinancing scheme that laundered money from drug running and gang activities,” reports Reuters.
Regional Relations
“Leaders from the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean were struggling on Tuesday to agree on a joint statement on the war in Ukraine, with some Latin American countries resisting EU pressure for a clear condemnation of Russia,” reports Reuters. (see yesterday’s LADB)
Honduras and Colombia met on the sidelines of the summit, calling for “true regional integration of Latin America and the Caribbean.” (Prensa Latina)
“As opioid overdose deaths rise in the U.S., members of Congress have broached the idea of using U.S. military force against the Mexican criminal networks that traffic in narcotics. Such notions are irresponsible, and other politicians and opinion leaders should vigorously push back against them,” says International Crisis Group.
Peru
“Various left-wing groups and unions in Peru have announced new protests starting on July 19 to demand Boluarte's resignation, the closure of Congress, early elections and a new constitution,” reports Reuters, with the government vowing they will only be met with legitimate uses of force by security forces. The declaration comes after previous protests were accompanied by allegations of abuses and “extrajudicial killings.”
Peru is facing two consecutive quarters of negative growth, which would place it in a technical recession and dash all hopes that “Peru is back,” says Bloomberg.
Haiti
“After weeks of dialogue, the leaders of four of Haiti’s most violent gangs have pledged to cooperate for peace,” reports Christian Science Monitor.
The New Yorker covers gang control and violence in Haiti, writing, “places that were free of violence seemed to have been pacified by force.”
Migration and Borders
In Texas, “Officers working for Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security initiative have been ordered to push small children and nursing babies back into the Rio Grande, and have been told not to give water to asylum seekers even in extreme heat, according to an email from a Department of Public Safety trooper who described the actions as ‘inhumane,’” according to Houston Chronicle.
“Opposition deputy Gustavo Aliaga is calling for Bolivia to militarize its borders in response to growing migration and vehicle robberies, reports Expreso. Bolivian and Chilean officials have met to discuss these issues, notes SwissInfo.” (via Americas Migration Brief)
Venezuela
On the sidelines of the EU-CELAC summit in Brussels (see yesterday’s LADB), “The presidents of France, Colombia, Brazil and Argentina met with Venezuelan government and opposition negotiators on Monday, in a bid to find a way out of the nation’s political impasse,” reports Bloomberg.
Colombia
President Gustavo Petro argues that Colombia’s economy has more to offer than just oil, citing agriculture, tourism, and the exportation of clean energy, explains Financial Times.
“The Bogotá mayor's office and Latin American development bank CAF signed a financing agreement for US$255mn on Monday for line No. 2 of the Colombian capital's subway,” reports BNAmericas.
Argentina
Reuters notes that, “The European Union is considering possible gas imports from Argentina, which is a net gas importer but plans to expand domestic production.”
Financial Times profiles Economy Minister and presidential candidate Sergio Massa, calling him a “shrewd political operator.”
Mexico
Vigilante leader Hipólito Mora’s death “was partly a local story of a region plunged into bloodshed by collaboration between corrupt politicians and narco-traffickers who have long dominated the strategically positioned western state of Michoacán… (but) also underlined how López Obrador’s “fairytale” campaign promises had failed to bear fruits,” reports The Guardian.
Brazil
China is set to import an increasing amount of Brazilian oil, says Reuters.
“Economic activity in Brazil declined in May, showed a central bank index on Monday, signaling a non-linear trajectory for the country's growth, even as analysts have been consistently revising their forecasts upward for the year.” (Reuters)