Ecuador’s coronavirus epicenter moves from Guayaquil to Quito

Guayaquil, in Ecuador, was the first city in Latin America to be completely devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Images of dead bodies lying on the streets of the Ecuadorian city shocked the world in March and April, as its public health system collapsed. 

The number of cases in the country has risen to over 80,000, and confirmed deaths reached 5,507 — with another 3,412 suspected deaths. But Guayaquil is no longer the epicenter of the outbreak in Ecuador. That inglorious title now belongs to the country’s capital and largest city — Quito.

Ecuador has a population of 17.5 million, with 2.8 million living in Quito and 2.7 million in Guayaquil. The capital recorded 159 news cases on Saturday, June 25, while the country’s second-largest city recorded only 18 new infections. Since June 30, the number of infections has almost doubled in Quito.

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