Here is an rational and unbiased update on the status of the Covid-19 coronavirus in Latin America as of March 10th, 2020
- On March 7, Argentina became the first country in Latin America to announce a death related to the virus after a 64-year-old man died in Buenos Aires.
- The first case was confirmed on March 3, involving a 43-year-old Argentine man who returned home from a two-week trip to Milan, Italy. The carrier presented himself to the hospital in Buenos Aires, where he was quarantined. Authorities said they contacted passengers who traveled on the same flight for examination.
- President Alberto Fernández’s immediate response to the confirmation of a first case was to tell Argentines “shouldn’t get alarmed [but] should be conscious.” The country’s health minister said the government is monitoring the situation domestically and internationally but did not take immediate measures such as closing schools or cancelling incoming flights from abroad.
- On March 5, the City of Buenos Aires government’s health ministry established a free number where epidemiologists attend to callers who may suspect they have symptoms.
- China is Argentina’s second-biggest export destination and the outbreak is already hitting trade. For example, 75 percent of Argentina’s beef exports go to the Asian county, and the value of these exports to China dropped 33.4 percent from December to January.
- Brazil confirmed Latin America’s first case on February 26: a 61-year-old man who had recently returned to São Paulo from a business trip to northern Italy. Upon arrival, the man went to a family reunion with over 30 relatives to celebrate Carnaval. The relatives were tested for the disease.
- The Brazilian government has urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to call the virus a pandemic.
- Brazilian scientists sequenced the virus’ genome two days after the first case was confirmed, enabling them to obtain information about the origin of the virus in the country quickly, a crucial success in the effort to contain it.
- On March 2, the LATAM Airlines suspended flights between São Paulo and Milan.
- China is Brazil’s top trading partner. The Brazilian stock market tumbled 7 percent on news of the first case, amounting to the biggest depreciation since May 2017. The real also fell to its lowest level against the dollar since the creation of the currency in the 1994. Goldman Sachs has since trimmed its 2020 growth forecast for Brazil from at least 2 percent to 1.5 percent.
- On March 3, Chile confirmed its first case, which involved a 33-year-old man in Talca, south of Santiago. The doctor, who had travelled to Asia, is quarantined in his home.
- President Sebastián Piñera said his government will send a delegation of four medical specialists to China to learn about that country’s control measures since the government first notified the WHO of the virus’ appearance in the Wuhan province on December 31.
- Chile also led a videoconference with all members of the regional bloc Prosur to discuss regional cooperation and urge joint efforts to mitigate the effects of a regional outbreak. Bolivia and Uruguay, though not members of the bloc, also participated.
- The country’s health ministry implemented a sworn declaration of health form to be completed by all passengers arriving from abroad to Chile, as well as a sanitary control measure in which passengers will be screened for the virus upon arrival to Chile from high-risk locations.
- Chile’s finance minister says the economic impact of the outbreak will be limited, even though China—its top trading partner—is the destination for a third of Chilean exports. Per Reuters, Citibank economists bumped Chile to the top of a vulnerability index due to how the coronavirus can hit supply chains and commodities, as well as market volatility.
- Colombia’s Health Ministry confirmed the country’s first case on March 6, involving a 19-year-old woman who returned to Bogotá from Milan. The carrier was in contact with at least 16 other people, who have been placed under observation.
- President Iván Duque was tested for the virus after possible exposure during a trip to Washington DC, where he joined an event also attended by people who had been exposed to a carrier of the virus. The president tested negative.
- The Colombian government changed the country’s risk status from moderate to high four days prior to the first case’s confirmation, and urged for the intensification of prevention methods, such as biosecurity measures and appropriate equipment for health personnel.
- On March 7, Duque announced that the government would launch a mobile app to keep Colombians up to date about the virus, along with a series of measures such as creating a phone line available to the public and reviewing processes at airports.
- Colombia’s peso reached a new low next to the dollar, and with China as Colombia’s third largest trading partner, Grupo Bancolombia said the outbreak could drag down Colombia’s GDP growth by up to 0.35 percent.
- On March 6, Costa Rica became the first Central American country to confirm a case, involving a 49-year-old tourist visiting from the United States. Her husband, who had contact with a person who had the virus in New York, was a suspected carrier. Prior to being quarantined in a San José-area hotel, they traveled to the Pacific Coast and a northern province.
- President Carlos Alvarado announced the confirmed case on Twitter and said Costa Rica had been preparing for the virus’ arrival since January. Health Minister Daniel Salas said that there would not be a suspension of activities involving large gatherings. He also encouraged people to only seek medical help if they had traveled to a country where transmission was active or had been in contact with an infected person, and were presenting symptoms in order to avoid overwhelming medical services. The Health Ministry is also monitoring ports of entry.
- Costa Rica’s Central Bank raised concerns that the economy could be affected by a slowdown in tourism and trade.
- The DR’s first confirmed case was reported on March 1. The 62-year-old Italian tourist was not showing any signs of the virus when he arrived in the country on February 22 but was hospitalized on February 29. He was placed in quarantine in a military hospital in San Isidro, near Santo Domingo.
- Before the case was officially confirmed, Dominican authorities on February 28 ordered the suspension of all flights originating from Milan for the next 30 days. Health Minister Rafael Sánchez Cárdenas added that all travelers coming from Italy, regardless of their nationalities, will be subject to epidemiological testing upon arrival at Dominican airports. The armed forces transformed part of a naval base in Santo Domingo into a hospital, making 40 beds available for potential patients.
- Ecuador’s Health Minister Catalina Andramuño Zeballos confirmed the country’s first case on February 29. A 70-year-old Ecuadoran woman who lives in Spain and had traveled from Madrid on February 14 was eventually admitted into a Guayaquil hospital in critical condition. Nine other individuals who came in direct contact with the hospitalized patient subsequently tested positive for the virus, while authorities continue to monitor over 120 individuals who may come into contact with affected patients.
- The government prohibited mass gatherings in Guayaquil and Babahoyo, the two places visited by the first confirmed carrier. President Lenín Moreno urged Ecuadorans to remain calm and stay informed. Ecuador’s National Institute of Public Health Research is in charge of monitoring the outbreak.
- COVID-19’s arrival hit the country’s oil sector. On March 2, Ecuador registered an estimated $11.80 drop in the price of crude oil barrels, bringing the price down to $39.54 per barrel.
- The country confirmed its first case, involving a 35-year-old man in Mexico City who was placed in quarantine, on February 28. The first three people confirmed to be carriers all caught the virus during a February conference in Bergamo, Italy, while the subsequent two cases involved students who had studied in Milan.
- Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has urged calm in the face of the outbreak, announced there would be a daily update about the virus each evening. Those updates cover how many confirmed and suspected cases exist in Mexico, prevention measures, and global information. The president says he will not cancel his daily morning press conferences in the National Palace, usually referred to as las mañaneras. He also plans to continue his weekend travels that take him to all corners of Mexico.
- With global concerns about the outbreak along with Mexico’s first confirmed case, the peso saw its worst period of losses since Donald Trump won the 2016 U.S. election.
- Paraguay's Health Ministry confirmed the country's first case on March 7 via Twitter. The 32-year-old man, who was quarantined in his home, had traveled to Ecuador for business.
- The government held a press conference following the first confirmed case and shared a number to call for people who traveled to countries where COVID-19 is present and who have symptoms.
- Paraguay’s Clinics Hospital, a research facility within the National University of Asunción located in the capital, is prepping a special block within the hospital to deal with coronavirus cases.
- A 40-year-old Panamanian woman became the country’s first confirmed case of coronavirus, Panama’s Ministry of Health and President Laurentino Cortizo announced on March 9. The patient displayed symptoms of the virus after a March 8 return from Spain and was then tested and quarantined in her home.
- After the first case, Minister of Health Rosario Turner announced that Panama would move into a mitigation phase to prevent the virus from spreading locally, including heightened restrictions at Panama’s ports of entry and exit. Prior to the arrival of the virus, Panama’s Ministry of Health prepared safety protocols due to confirmed cases in neighboring Costa Rica and Colombia. These include streamlined testing within prisons, daycare centers, and nursing homes.
- In January 29, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) instituted stronger safety measures, largely in response to a worsening health crisis in China—a primary users of the waterway. These measures include requiring ships that docked in countries with confirmed cases to report them prior to their arrival in Panama. Given that 6 percent of global trade passes through the Canal, financial analysts warn that Panama will feel the impact as the virus continues to affect trade.
- Peru confirmed its first case on March 6. The 25-year-old man had recently returned from a trip that took him to Spain, France, and the Czech Republic.
- President Martín Vizcarra said the country is “prepared to confront the situation.” In his televised address, Vizcarra noted that since COVID-19 was confirmed in China, Peru had adopted actions to prepare for the virus’ arrival, implementing a national plan that involves the health ministry, the social security program Essalud and private clinics, and measures to ensure the health of the armed forces and national police. The Health Ministry will also create quarantine spaces in hospitals throughout the country. The Ministry of Foreign trade and Tourism began an “informed travel” campaign sharing measures to prevent catching or spreading the virus.
- China is Peru’s top trading partner, with 30 percent of its exports destined for the Asian country. Goldman Sachs says Peru, along with Chile, counts as Latin America’s most exposed economy due to coronavirus.
For further updates visit Americas Society Council of the Americas
