Briefing

Concerns of COVID-19 at El Helicoide

We have to test more people, stop threatening and repressing the exposed population and supply every health worker that might be able to help with personal protection gear

Naky Soto

Photo: ABC.es

  • On Tuesday, Nicolás’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, reported on Twitter that there are 684 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 21,438 cases they’ve admitted to. Rodríguez also reported seven deaths (the highest number in a day, so far) for a total of 187 deaths. 
  • The president of the National Academy of Medicine, Enrique López Loyo, spoke at the National Assembly session on Tuesday morning and assured that in order to control the pandemic in Venezuela, we’d have to run between 8,000 and 10,000 PCR tests per day. Since those aren’t done, we’re sub-registering the number of cases, which aren’t caught on time and cause more cases. He reiterated the strategies proposed by the academies last week to handle the pandemic and insisted that there should be a diagnostics lab in each state capital. Dr. López Loyo confirmed that the deficit of personal protection gear has caused the highest number of dead doctors in Spain and Latin America.
  • Deputy José Manuel Olivares confirmed there’s an “inmate from El Helicoide with COVID-19” hospitalized at Caracas’ University Hospital, which means it’s highly likely that there’s an outbreak in that prison. If it isn’t handled properly, this situation will cost inmates and guards’ lives. He demands the UN Human Rights Council delegation be allowed inside, to confirm how many cases there are and what are their conditions. He also demanded the families be informed. 
  • On Tuesday, coronavirus killed Zulian OB GYN Jesús Peña and nurse Ninfa Luz Caballero. 
  • The news leaked to major outlets about 29 Cuban doctors returning to Cuba from Venezuela and testing positive for COVID-19. Turns out, Cuba is now worried about the health situation in Venezuela. 
  • Nicolás headed the 83rd anniversary ceremony of the National Guard. He promoted Reverol to Commander in Chief, the first GNB officer to obtain that rank. He said that Venezuela has the world record at destroying drug labs. He announced he’s founding the National Anti Drug Superintendency. 
  • AN deputies approved an agreement to back 27 political parties that won’t participate in the election on December 6th. Freddy Guevara called on citizens, political leaders and international allies to support the agreement.  Juan Carlos Velazco requested that part of the Venezuelan funds protected by the OFAC are destined to buy COVID-19 vaccines, when they’re available. The AN rejected the regime not answering for the damages caused by oil spills affecting the Eastern Coast of the Maracaibo Lake, and the coasts of Carabobo and Falcón. They demanded oil authorities compensate those affected and take actions to clean the environment and ecosystems in those regions. 
  • The director of the Public Transportation Users Committee proposed options that allow people to pay to pay the fares: virtual points of sale or payments on their phones, because there’s a lack of cash on the streets. The reality is that, even with machines and open banks, there wouldn’t be enough cash. 
  • Oil workers keep demanding better salaries and better working conditions for the third week in a row, this time the unions held a national tuitazo. “The situation is terrible (…) we’re working for hunger salaries, in subhuman working conditions, retirees dying from malnutrition,” said Eudis Girot, representative of the FUTPV. 
  • The mayors of Chacao, El Hatillo, Baruta in Caracas, and Los Salias in San Antonio, Miranda state, ruled out the project for a Condominium Law being pushed by Miranda governor Héctor Rodríguez, and asked citizens to reject this project, for considering that it only seeks social control. They denounced this initiative as having all kinds of problems and consider it to be meddling in municipalities’ budget attributions. 
  • Barlavento Appeals Court (in Cape Verde) decided on July 31st that Colombian citizen Alex Saab must be extradited. It’s the second court that rejects the petition for his release. However, in order for the extradition to proceed, there are still decisions pending by the Appeals Court and the Supreme Court. Saab’s defense expressed their concern for the alleged violation of due process and the right to defense. In Venezuela, unfortunately, they could see what it really means to violate due process. 
  • Senator Álvaro Uribe, former Colombian president, reported that the Supreme Court ordered house arrest for the alleged crimes of bribes and procedural fraud. This investigation started after Uribe denounced Iván Cepeda, deputy of political party Polo Democrático, for creating false testimonies against him, but the court found elements pointing in the other direction. It’s the first time in Colombian history that a former president is questioned by the Supreme Court and detained afterwards. 
  • The government of President Donald Trump will keep supporting Guaidó as the legitimate President of Venezuela after the elections of December 6th, in which no opposition parties will participate, said Elliot Abrams, Special Envoy for Venezuela. In that hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Abrams insisted that the U.S. “won’t recognize that fraudulent election” in December and said that they’ve been speaking to most of the 59 countries that have recognized Guaidó and that he’s confident they’ll continue to support him. Abrams assured during the hearing that he’s working hard to remove Nicolás from power before the end of the year.  He exhorted the EU and Latin American countries to impose personal sanctions on members of the regime in order to achieve this goal.
Briefing

Naky Soto

Naky gets called Naibet at home and at the bank. She coordinates training programs for an NGO. She collects moments and turns them into words. She has more stories than freckles.

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