Coronavirus overwhelms Bolivia

The spread of the Sars coronavirus in Bolivia is overwhelming the country’s hospitals and cemeteries, as the number of confirmed cases has surpassed 65,000.

Bolivia’s health ministry reported 1,117 new infections on July 24 and 79 additional virus-related deaths, taking the Latin American nation’s toll to 2,400 – although the real numbers are believed to be much higher.

Earlier this week, more than 400 bodies were recovered from streets, vehicles and homes of some of the country’s biggest cities by the police, with 85 percent of the victims believed to have died from COVID-19.

The situation has been straining resources in the administrative capital, La Paz, the country’s biggest city, Santa Cruz, as well as Cochabamba, where almost 200 bodies of suspected coronavirus patients were collected in five days.

With hospitals running out of oxygen supplies, relatives of patients were told to make their own arrangements.

With the peak of the pandemic expected later in July, the electoral tribunal on July 24 postponed general elections, scheduled for September, until October 18.

The election was originally supposed to be held in May but had been rescheduled to September 6 after the country went into lockdown following the virus outbreak.

The latest postponement comes just two weeks after interim President Jeanine Anez, who has been leading the country following Evo Morales’ controversial departure last year, tested positive for COVID-19. Four cabinet members have also contracted the virus.

The decision is good news for Ms Añez, who had argued that Bolivians should not go to the polls until the worst had passed, and a blow to her main rival, Luis Arce, leader of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) party that held power under long-time president Evo Morales until last year. He has accused Ms Añez of using the pandemic to cling to power.