By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews
At the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, The Presidential Commission for the Prevention and Care of Coronavirus (COVID-19) reported the presence of eight new cases in the country. This brings the total cases to 10 in the country.
After submitting more than 30 people to diagnostic tests, following the protocols established by the World Health Organization (WHO), eight new ones infected with the virus were detected , reported sector vice president Jorge Rodríguez.
“We have to report, in a responsible way, that eight of more than those 30 cases evaluated today were positive for Coronavirus,” said Rodríguez from the Government Palace.
He pointed out that six of these eight people are men and two women, of which three are from Spain, two from the US, one from Colombia (Cúcuta) and two Venezuelans who were secondarily infected.
The cases are being attended with the rigor that they deserve, stressed the also Minister of Communication and Information, while detailing that four of these people are located in the Miranda state, one in Aragua, one in Apure, one in Cojedes and the eighth person is a citizen of Spanish origin cabin crew.
In addition, prior to reporting any cases, the National Government declared a permanent emergency in the National Public Health System in order to establish mechanisms for the prevention and containment of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
“I have decided to declare the Health System a permanent emergency for prevention, protection and to fully prepare them in all their capacities to attend to cases that, at some point, are detected anywhere in the country,” announced the president of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro.
From the Miraflores Palace, located in Caracas, he explained that 46 hospital centers are empowered to “conduct and exercise stewardship in the coronavirus care processes throughout the national territory.”
On Saturday, officials said 4,800 beds were arranged in 572 Comprehensive Diagnostic Centers (CDI) throughout the country.
In Colombia, the government of President Ivan Duque announced late Friday that non-nationals would be barred from entering the country from March 16 if they have been in Europe or Asia over the past two weeks. It also announced the closure of the border with Venezuela, prompting fears of what such measures may mean for those who rely on medicine, medical supplies and other goods from Colombia.
Colombia has reported 22 COVID-19 cases to date.
Venezuela slammed the decision as “an act of gross irresponsibility”.
More than 4.8 million people have fled Venezuela since 2015, and over 1.7 million now reside in Colombia, according to the United Nations’s most recent figures.
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