Briefing

Worst Moment So Far

According to the National Hospital Survey, last week was the worst in the country, after they measured the occupancy rate in ICUs, the number of cases, and the number of deaths. Súmate warned that over 80% of candidates to the National Electoral Council board of authorities have ties to PSUV.

Naky Soto
  • Dr. Julio Castro warned that coronavirus figures aren’t decreasing in Venezuela: “Our numbers show that the epidemic isn’t subsiding. On the contrary, it’s at its worst moment this year,” he said. According to the National Hospital Survey, last week was the worst in the country, after they measured the occupancy rate in ICUs, the number of cases, and the number of deaths. They said that 60% of hospitals don’t have running water and that 50% of medical staff don’t have supplies to fight the virus. Castro said that Venezuelans deserve a transparent vaccination process. 
  • Maduro said that he met virtually with WHO director Tedros Adhanom; PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne, and GAVI, to allegedly speed up the delivery of the vaccines through the COVAX system. 
  • Maduro’s Health minister Carlos Alvarado said that Venezuela is “at the top of the second wave of cases” and repeated that this wave has been worse because of the Brazilian variant of the virus. Alvarado said that drinking hot beverages “contributes to stopping the virus from reproducing”, which is a fake piece of health advice. 
  • At least 20 healthcare workers died last week, including 13 doctors, one bioanalyst, and six nurses. 460 healthcare workers have died, according to the Venezuelan Medical Federation. 
  • Transparencia Venezuela demanded information on the origin of 59.2 million Swiss francs used to pay GAVI in order to access 11.3 million doses of COVAX vaccines and information about the officers who participated in the agreement, the distribution plan and access to vaccination, as well as controls, mechanisms and the responsible entities of keeping records of the vaccines that will be used. 
  • CICPC director Douglas Rico said on Monday that they managed to dismantle 395 criminal gangs in the first quarter of 2021. He also reported that 9,338 people have been arrested, that they recovered 958 firearms and 2,010 pieces of ammunition. 
  • Efecto Cocuyo published profiles of some of the candidates to the National Electoral Council board of authorities, including six former chavista deputies, three former chavista ministers, and substitute rectors of the CNE. Súmate warned that over 80% of candidates have ties to PSUV. 
  • The commission for commune development of Maduro’s National Assembly said that over 50,000 people have participated in the consultation process of the communal city draft law, without explaining how and when, and of course not providing details on the consultation. 
  • Juan Guaidó said that terrorist groups are financed with illegal gold extraction and with cryptocurrency transactions: “Maduro obtains financing for terrorist groups like FARC through blood gold, weapon trafficking and money laundering, using non-conventional methods like cryptocurrency,” he said. 
  • The president of the Cattle Farmers and Agro Producers Association of Encontrados sector in Zulia Justo Carpio said that the diesel fuel shortage in the southern region of Lake Maracaibo will directly impact plantain production since 90% of the machines can’t be used without it. It will also impact the yucca, rice and corn crops in the Catatumbo Municipality. 
  • Un Nuevo Tiempo said that the fuel shortage isn’t a consequence of sanctions, but a crisis that has been developing since 2013. 
  • The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) confirmed that they’re sending a mission to Venezuela in order to verify the human rights violations of former deputies and the state of the Legislative Branch: “It’s a mission we have requested for a long time and it will finally happen because we have received an invitation from the 2020 Assembly,” said Thomas Fitzsimons, a spokesman for the IPU. 
  • The U.S. reported that they have reached agreements with Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala to move thousands of troops and police officers to the borders, in order to stop irregular mass migration, which reached record-breaking numbers in March. 
  • Colombian President Iván Duque met with Biden’s advisor and director for Western Hemisphere of the National Security Council Juan González and with the adjunct secretary of the State Department for the Western Hemisphere Julie Chung. The Venezuelan issue was part of the agenda. 
    • Julio Borges said he also met González and Chung: “We covered political and humanitarian topics in Venezuela and talked about the need for international coordination in order to achieve change in Venezuela through free elections,” he wrote. 
  • Maduro’s regime started a mass propaganda effort to report that they sent almost 20 tonnes of humanitarian aid to St. Vincent and the Grenadines after the La Soufrière volcano eruption. They sent 17,000 lts. of water, mattresses, personal hygiene kits, food and a group to provide medical care. 
  • Despite the serious sanitary condition, chavismo advertised all day yesterday that Carvativir “is now available in private and public pharmacies.” It’s a placebo with herbs.

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.

Related