ICU beds in Venezuela hit 80% occupancy, says opposition

Mar 19, 2021 12:23 2 min read

Members of the opposition in Venezuela said that 80 percent of the country’s intensive care beds are currently full due to what they call the government’s “improvised” coronavirus response.

Congressman Jose Manuel Olivares — appointed by self-declared president Juan Guaidó as a form of shadow health minister — said President Nicolás Maduro’s attempts to contain the virus spread are “a joke,” claiming that Venezuela does not have a solid health system.

While the government in Caracas admits cases have increased due the infections with the Brazilian coronavirus variants, experts and international organizations claim that official figures are vastly underreported.

Venezuela says no to AstraZeneca

Venezuela joined the list of 20 countries that have temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine after fears of links to blood clots. Though the company and EU regulators reaffirmed the immunizer’s safety, Venezuela said it “will not allow the AstraZeneca vaccine to be used in our country due to the effects it causes on patients.”