Covid-19 Cases in 131 of the 153 Municipalities in Nicaragua

The Citizens Covid-19 Observatory has registered 5957 people with the virus and 1688 deaths.  The number of deaths in their report is 26 times greater than the official MINSA (health ministry) data.

By Yader Luna (Confidencial)

HAVANA TIMES – The independent Citizens Covid-19 Observatory saw the number of suspected cases rise to 5957, and the number of deaths to 1688.  The number of deaths the organization reports is 26 times that of the official figure given out by the ministry of health (MINSA), which last reported 64 dead and 1823 testing positive.  

The number of deaths recorded by the Observatory is more than double the 813 deaths projected in an internal  report by MINSA for the 180 days following the outbreak of the virus in March.  That’s to say that the number is double what was predicted, and in half the time.

From June 11-17 the Observatory, a citizens’ initiative, counted 903 new possible cases.  This is 18% higher than the number of cases reported the week before.  This rate of increase has been steady over the last weeks.

Regarding the registering of cases and deaths carried out by the Observatory, the organization admits that its figures “include reports of cases and deaths that the organization came to know about after the fact (a total of 83 suspected cases and 15 deaths, which occurred between May 23 and June 10, 2020). 

According to the Observatory, MINSA’s limited statistics “show us the urgent need for the government to take measures to avoid people being infected.  To do this, it is imperative that it have detailed information on which to base its decisions about how to cope with the present situation.”

Urgent measures must be taken to avoid Hospital overload

The Observatory’s report laments “the great lack of medical workers dedicated to the virus, and the exhaustion and stress of these people.  This is seriously weakening the public health system’s ability to rise to the level of this crisis.”

“The government must hire more health workers to adequately satisfy the demand for basic and specialized care in the [public] hospitals.”  

The Observatory reports that it has received reports from six departments and the two autonomous regions of the Atlantic Coast regarding the inadequate response of the government to the needs in the health centers.  There is “a shortage of beds in the hospitals and the wards for Covid-19 patients are packed to the maximum.”

Also, it has been reported that during the last week “in 11 departments in the health personnel has been fired, threatened and punished. Most of the cases have been in Managua.”

The most affected areas

In the week of June 11-17, a total of 275 new deaths were counted: up 20% from the week before.  From every department and the autonomous regions “came reports of rising numbers of deaths during the week.” 

At least ten municipalities have reported, for the first time, cases. And the coronavirus now affects 131 municipalities in all the country’s departments.

Managua still has the greatest number of cases, 2551.  Then Matagalpa with 610; Masaya,535; León,380; Chinandega 261; Estelí, 221, Jinotega, 184 and Granada, 174.  This includes the both the official figures of the ministry of health and the suspected cases reported to the Observatory.

This citizens’ organization for gathering virus-related data said that 127 of the deaths were from pneumonia and 1561 suspected from Covid-19.  “The deaths have taken place in every one of the 17 departments in the country, as well as in the autonomous regions,” they said.

Managua has also had the greatest number of deaths: 664. Followed by Masaya, with 216, Leon, with 133, and Chinandega, with 108.