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Colombian President Iván Duque blamed the anti-government protests that began in late April for the increase in deaths from COVID-19 on Monday, the Associated Press reported.
Colombia this week reached 100,000 confirmed deaths from COVID-19, the 10th country to reach such a milestone.
Duque said that “more than 10,000 deaths would have been avoided” if residents had not left their homes to protest at large rallies in the past seven weeks. But epidemiologists across the country said it was too early to say what kind of impact the protests have had on the current wave of deaths from COVID-19.
For more Associated Press reporting, see below:
Colombian President Ivn Duque addresses the press ahead of a meeting with members of the National Strike Committee at the Casa de Nario government palace in Bogot on May 10. Guillermo Legaria / Getty Images
“The protests have definitely played a role” in the contagion of coronaviruses, said Diego Rosselli, professor of epidemiology at Javeriana University in Bogotá. “But at this time, giving a figure on how many deaths they have caused is pure speculation.”
More than 25,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Colombia since May 1, about a quarter of those who have died from the disease since the first case of the coronavirus was recorded in Colombia in March of last year.
Rosselli said more contagious variants of the virus may have contributed to the sharp acceleration in death rates, as has happened in neighboring countries like Argentina and Brazil.
Fatigue from sanitary measures, such as the use of face masks, overcrowded living conditions and declining restrictions on gatherings have also fueled contagion in Colombia and elsewhere in South America. The region represents only 5% of the world’s population, but accounts for almost a quarter of all deaths from COVID-19.
In Colombia, the increase in cases comes as the government lifts some of the latest restrictions it had put in place to control the spread of the coronavirus and allows nightclubs, bars and cinemas to open for the first time in more than a year.
Cities like Medellín and Bogotá are also gearing up to host trade shows and music events that will be attended by thousands of people, while 10,000 people recently attended a soccer match in the coastal town of Barranquilla.
City governments say they have no choice but to allow these events in order to find jobs and help the economy get back on its feet.
Colombia’s unemployment rate doubled last year as the government put in place several containment measures to slow the contagion and the country’s gross domestic product fell by 7%. Vaccinations accelerated in June, with up to 350,000 doses given in one day, but only 10 percent of the Colombian population is fully vaccinated.
Doctors fear recent decisions to allow more gatherings will increase the number of critically ill patients arriving at hospitals, who are already struggling to cope. In Bogotá, Cali and Medellín, more than 95% of intensive care beds in hospitals are already occupied.
Paola Cabra, an emergency doctor at Samaritana University Hospital in Bogotá, said the best thing would be to return to containment to reduce infections.
“But in a country like Colombia, you can’t do that,” Cabra said. “Most of the people here work independently for a living and cannot afford to sit at home and do nothing.”
The hospital’s 19 intensive care units for COVID-19 patients have been full for weeks, forcing staff to add ventilators and other equipment to emergency beds.
“I wish I was wrong,” Cabra said. “But it looks like the situation will get worse in the coming weeks.”
A cemetery worker cremates the remains of a man who died of COVID-19 at a crematorium in Zipaquira, Colombia, on June 18. Fernando Vergara / Associated Press
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