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Venezuela confirms first coronavirus death

27 March 2020 09:11 (UTC +04:00)

Venezuela confirmed its first two cases of the coronavirus Friday, deepening anxiety in a crisis-stricken nation where many hospitals lack basics such as water and soap and struggle to treat even basic ailments, APA reports citing ABC news.

The announcement prompted President Iván Duque of neighboring Colombia to order his nation’s border with Venezuela closed as a coronavirus containment measure.

“God help us,” hospital patient Carlos Chacón said after hearing the news that the pandemic had arrived in his native Venezuela.

“My mom is old and sick. So is my father,” said Chacón, a 48-year-old electrician who was first hospitalized four months ago with two broken legs from a motorcycle accident. “Here I am in this condition, stuck in this hospital bed.”

Earlier Friday, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez delivered the news that Venezuelans feared was coming: A 52-year-old man who had recently traveled from Spain and a 41-year-old woman who had returned from a trip through the U.S., Italy and Spain had been diagnosed with the virus.