A month ago, President Mario Abdo Benítez of Paraguay narrowly escaped an impeachment vote following a series of violent protests against his administration’s pandemic response. Weeks have passed and the government has still been unable to meet people’s demands — and the health crisis is getting even worse. Authorities fear the worst of the pandemic is still ahead and vaccination campaigns are progressing at a snail’s pace — only 1.1 percent of Paraguayans have received at least one shot of immunizer so far.
The tiny landlocked nation of 7 million people has confirmed over 257,000 coronavirus infections and 5,600 deaths — but these figures appear even worse when put in context. On February 1, the country’s seven-day rolling average of new daily deaths stood below 15. Now, it has hit 74.
Meanwhile, Paraguay is facing a shortage of hospital workers. On April 15, the country’s nursing association reported the death of five frontline health professionals in a single day. “We beg citizens to be aware,” labor representatives said. That same day, major national newspaper ABC Color ran a stark headline quote from the relative of a coronavirus patient in the capital Asunción: “Everyday we see bodies in black bags because there are...
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