Health authorities in Ecuador updated their official Covid-19 figures this week, pushing the total number of coronavirus casualties up to 30,752 — 40 percent more than previous reports.
The government explains that the system now includes deaths of people with Covid-19 symptoms, but who did not undergo tests to confirm their infections. The purpose, said health officials, was to “give verified information to the entire population.” Data was obtained by cross-referencing figures from the Health Ministry, the Civil Registry, and the country’s Institute of Statistics and Census.
Similar death toll updates were seen in Chile, Mexico, and Peru — in the Chilean case, the revision of death tolls led to the resignation of then-Health Minister Jaime Mañalich.
Ecuador was once Latin America’s first Covid-19 hotbed after the funeral system collapsed in major city Guayaquil.