COVID-19 pandemic in Paraguay
The COVID-19 pandemic in Paraguay is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to have reached Paraguay on March 7, 2020, in a 32-year-old man from Guayaquil, Ecuador, living in San Lorenzo, Central Department. Three days later, on March 10, 2020, a second case was confirmed in a 61-year-old man who traveled from Argentina; the same day three more cases were confirmed. Due to this spike, the government began imposing the first measures to stop the disease from spreading.
| COVID-19 pandemic in Paraguay | |
|---|---|
_(49987599432).jpg.webp) Equipment for responding to the pandemic, donated to Paraguay by the International Atomic Energy Agency | |
 Map of departments with confirmed coronavirus cases:[1] | |
| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | Paraguay |
| First outbreak | Wuhan, Hubei, China (global) Guayaquil, Ecuador (local) |
| Index case | Central department |
| Arrival date | 7 March 2020 (2 years, 7 months and 26 days) |
| Confirmed cases | 717,955[2] |
| Recovered | 448,387[3] |
Deaths | 19,601[2] |
| Fatality rate | 2.73% |
| Vaccinations | |
| Government website | |
| www.mspbs.gov.py/covid-19 (in Spanish) | |
On March 10, 2020, the Paraguayan government suspended classes and all activities that involved groups of people, as well as public and private events, with the goal of avoiding the spread of the virus, pursuant to Decree no. 3442/2020.[4] Other preventive measures were adopted, such as commerce and movement restrictions, suspension of flights, border closures, curfews, and strengthening controls to ensure compliance with the measures.[5]
On March 20, 2020, the first death and the first case of community transmission were confirmed. The government declared a total quarantine until May 3, with free movement completely restricted. Public movement was restricted to buying food, medicine and other essential items.[6][7][8] At the end of March, the government began to invite Paraguayan expatriates to return to their homeland with opportunities to isolate in supervised shelters, designated and paid for by the government. Returned expatriates were required to quarantine for 14 days. Many expatriates also quarantined in hotels, (called Health Hotels), if they could afford to do so.
After May 4, 2020, Paraguay implemented the so-called "Intelligent/Smart" Quarantine, a gradual return to work and social activities with social distancing and health-focused measures. However, the border remained closed and other inter-country activities remained restricted.
After October 5, 2020, the country moved to a new phase known as the "Covid way of living," relaxing restrictions on most activities while maintaining an increased focus on sanitation until a vaccine or cure was found. National borders were opened and some international flights were resumed. Eventually, specific exceptions could be raised by regional zones or by a particular economic sector, if the circumstances required it. Online learning and nightly curfew were still in effect indefinitely.[9]
COVID-19 [10] is caused by SARS-CoV-2.[11] All regions of Paraguay were affected by COVID-19, leaving no region untouched by the disease. Face masks were required by the government and helped to stop the spread of the virus.
On February 18, 2021, Paraguay received the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. There were 4,000 doses of the Sputnik V Vaccine.[12] On February 22, 2021, the vaccine initiative began in Paraguay, focused on vaccinating frontline medical workers who had higher risk of exposure to the disease.
As of February 2022, all restrictions have been lifted by the government, with the only recommendation being to wear a face mask in indoor spaces. In certain cases, proof of vaccination is also required.
Background
On January 12, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on December 31, 2019.[13][14]
Unlike SARS of 2003, the case fatality ratio for COVID-19 [15][16] has been much lower, but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[17][15]
Timeline
_-_Infizierte_(800px).svg.png.webp)
_-_Tote_(800px).svg.png.webp)
March 2020
- March 7: the first case was confirmed in Asunción. The patient was a 32-year-old man who arrived from Guayaquil, Ecuador.[18][19]
- March 10: Paraguay suspended public school sessions and large-scale public and private events for 15 days.[20][21]
- March 13: Paraguay suspended flights coming from Europe.[22]
- March 15: Paraguay confirmed partial closures of its borders, restricted crowds and imposed a nighttime curfew.[23]
- March 20: Paraguay confirmed the first death in the country due to coronavirus, and extended a previously announced quarantine through April 12, and called for a social isolation policy (total lockdown). Public movement is restricted to buying food, medicine and other essential items.[24]
April 2020
- April 8: Nationwide quarantine (total lockdown) extended through April 19.[25]
- April 17: Nationwide quarantine (total lockdown) extended through April 26.
- April 20: For the first time in 29 days, no new cases were found.[26]
- April 24: Nationwide quarantine (total lockdown) extended through May 3. It was decided Paraguay would implement a "Smart/Intelligent Quarantine" phase on May 4, with a gradual return to work and social activities, with social distancing and hygiene measures in place. However, the government decided to maintain the closure of borders and implement online learning classes until December.[27]
May 2020
June 2020
- June 9: The Paraguayan government has announced the total closure of the city of San Roque González de Santa Cruz for a period of 15 days, starting on June 9, with the city returning to a total lockdown phase.[29]
- June 15h: Phase 3 of the "Smart/Intelligent" Quarantine starts, with the exception of the Paraguarí and Concepción Departments, which will remain in Phase 2, with the local government controlling circulation at main access points to those Departments for 14 days.[30]
- June 25: Phase 3 (Intelligent Quarantine) extended through July 19. The city of San Roque González de Santa Cruz returns to Phase 2.
- June 27: Community cases outnumber shelter cases for the first time, already reaching 56% of total confirmed cases.
July 2020
- July 13: Paraguarí and Concepción Departments start Phase 3 of the "Smart/Intelligent" Quarantine.
- July 17: Paraguay has surpassed 100,000 tests (PCR)
- July 20: Phase 4 of the "Smart/Intelligent" Quarantine starts, with the exception of Asunción (D.C), Central and Alto Paraná Departments.
- July 29: Due to the increase in cases, the department of Alto Paraná returned to lockdown on July 29 for two weeks, with some authorizations of Phase 1 and commerce allowed between 5:00am to 5:00pm.[31]
August 2020
- August 8: Phase 3 (Intelligent Quarantine) extended through August 30 in Asunción and Central department.[32]
- August 14: Lockdown extended through August 23 in Alto Paraná department.
- August 15: Phase 4 (Intelligent Quarantine) extended through August 30 in the rest of the country.
- August 23: Asunción and Central department enter a Social Quarantine (Phase 3 with more restrictions, especially in the social sphere). Lockdown extended through September 6 in Alto Paraná department, with some relaxations.
- August 30: Phase 4 (Intelligent Quarantine) extended through September 6 in the rest of the country. Boquerón department and the city of Carmelo Peralta (in Alto Paraguay department) come back to Phase 3.
September 2020
- September 3: Quarantine extended until September 20.
- September 20: Quarantine extended until October 4.
October 2020
- October 5: The "new normal" starts.
May 2021
Marcelo Ebrard, Mexican Foreign Minister, announced on May 12 that Mexico will donate 400,000 doses of Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Paraguay, Belize, and Bolivia.[33]
January 2022
Foreign travelers not residing in Paraguay, aged 18 and over, must present a complete vaccination record as to enter the country.[34]
Government responses
First measures
On March 10, 2020, the Paraguayan government suspended classes and all activities that involve groups of people, as well as public and private events, with the goal of avoiding the spread of the virus, pursuant to Decree no. 3442/2020.[4]
Other preventive measures have been adopted as time has gone by, such as restrictions on commerce and movement, suspends flights, closure of borders, restricting entry of foreigners, curfews, and strengthening controls to ensure compliance with the measures.[5]
National lockdown
On March 20, 2020, the first death and the first case of community transmission were confirmed. The government declared a total quarantine (lockdown) until May 3, with free movement restricted completely. Public movement was restricted to buying food, medicine and other essential items.[6][7][8]
The city of San Roque González de Santacruz (department of Paraguarí) returned to lockdown on June 9 through June 24, due to the uncontrolled increase in the number of contaminations.
Easing of restrictions: Intelligent Quarantine
Paraguay implemented from May 4 an "Intelligent/Smart" Quarantine, with a gradual return to work and social activities, with social distancing and hygiene measures in 4 phases. However, the government decided to keep international borders closed, online learning, and the nighttime curfew indefinitely.[9]
- Phase 1: consists of the reopening of industries, small businesses with up to 3 people inside, and all delivery services. Outdoor individual physical activity, such as walking, can occur within 500 meters of a person's home. Access to public and private parks for walking/running trails only is permitted but observing the following: From 5:00am to 10:00am access for people, age 65 and older. From 10:30am to 8:00pm access for people between the ages of 10 and 64. The use of common areas such as playgrounds, exercise machines, courts and benches are not allowed. Vehicle traffic restriction by license plate.
- Phase 2 consists of the reopening of corporate buildings with up to 50% of the workforce present and under a rotation schedule. This includes civil construction, shopping centers and medium-sized businesses, hairdressers (up to 30 minutes per appointment), religious services (such as weddings and baptisms) with no more than ten people present, and moving services. This is to be carried out in compliance with strict health and safety measures, including the washing of hands coming in and out of venues/sites, mandatory physical distancing and the wearing of face masks at all times.
- Phase 3: consists of the limited reopening of restaurants, religious activities in groups of up to 20 persons, higher school (only exams, thesis presentation, practical and laboratory classes; not include classroom classes), indoor gyms by appointment only, outdoor exercise for up to two people, drive-in cinema and other cultural activities with social distancing measures. This also includes individual physical activity in sports clubs and private parks.
- Phase 4: consists of opening the hotel and cultural sector under a strict health protocol. Religious activities in groups of up to 50 persons (a distance of two meters between each person and the registration of participants), in addition to concerts / music festivals, suitable cinemas and other activities in the cultural sector. Social events are allowed up to 20 people and private social gatherings (preferably family) of up to 10 people. As for sports activities, up to 4 people are allowed in any non-contact sport.[29]
In Phase 1 and 2, the ban on all non-essential movement was in place from 9pm to 5am. In Phase 3 and 4, the ban on all non-essential movement is in place from 11pm to 5am (Sundays to Thursdays) and from 12am to 5am (Friday to Saturday).
Return of restrictions in some areas
Due to the increase in cases, the department of Alto Paraná returned to lockdown on July 29 for three weeks, with some authorizations of Phase 1 and businesses allowed to be open between 5:00am to 5:00pm (called Phase 0,5).[31] Lockdown was extended on August 24 through September 20, with some relaxations. For example, businesses were allowed to be open until 8pm. Since September 21, this department entered a Social Quarantine.
On August 23, Asunción and Central department entered a Social Quarantine (Phase 3 with more restrictions, especially in the social sphere, for example, curfew between 8pm to 5am, prohibition of alcohol sales at night, long-distance trips suspended on weekends, individual physical activity restricted, etc.).
On August 31, Boquerón department and the city of Carmelo Peralta (in Alto Paraguay department) came back to Phase 3.
On September 13, Caaguazú department and Concepción department entered a Social Quarantine.
New normal
As announced on October 2, 2020, by the Minister of Health, the phases of Intelligent Quarantine in the country are finalized, to advance to a kind of new normal known as the "covid way of living", due to the plateau reached in the contagions. Eventually, specific exceptions could be raised by zones or by a particular economic sector, if the circumstances require it, as stated by the same.[35]
From October 5, interdepartmental circulation will be allowed without restrictions, and free circulation every day between 05:00 am and 00:00 am. The operation of hotels, and social and cultural events is allowed, with a restriction of up to 50 people, among others.
Since October 15, the international border with Brazil was opened. Likewise, since October 21, commercial flights were resumed with the reopening of airports. Passengers who came to the country for over 7 days must comply with a mandatory quarantine.
At the end of October, there was a decline in confirmed COVID-19 cases, from more than 5,000 weekly cases during the peak (plateau) to below 3,000 weekly cases. However, after a month of continuous decline, towards the end of November and the beginning of December, cases increased again, reaching the average number of cases once more during the peak between September and October, for which the National Government once again applied some restrictions. As stated by the Director of the Health Surveillance, the pandemic in Paraguay is still on a "plateau" and it is most likely that it will continue like this for the remainder of 2020 and even early 2021.
First vaccines and second wave
At the end of February 2021, there is an increase in the contagion curve, after a plateau of several months, exceeding the thousand daily infections on average, as a result of the proliferation of clandestine social events, and the number of tourists who traveled both inside and outside the country, especially Brazil.[36]
This excessive increase in infections caused a new saturation in the public health system, to the point that emergency surgeries had to be suspended and doctors must choose who is more likely to live to occupy an ICU bed. In this scenario, beds, supplies, medicines were scarce, as well as the delay in the acquisition of vaccines for COVID-19, which led to massive protests and riots throughout the country, known as the Paraguayan March 2021, ending in the resignation and removal of several ministers, including the Minister of Health Julio Mazzoleni.[37][38]
On February 18, 2021, the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Paraguay, consisting of 4000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine. These were supposed to go in theory to healthcare workers. Vaccination began on February 22, 2021, in the main health centers of the country. Paraguay lags far behind in the application of vaccines in comparison to its neighboring countries.[39][40]
Paraguay later received a donation of 20,000 doses of CoronaVac from Chile,[41] for which it began vaccinations on March 10.[42]
On November 12, 2021, India sent 400,000 doses of the Covaxin,an Indian WHO approved vaccine.
Shelters
Since end of March 2020, the government has used existing infrastructure of military bases, warehouses, police stations, and indoor sports complexes called "albergues" (shelters) to accommodate large groups of individuals -who returned from abroad (mainly from Brazil and neighboring countries.)
Returnees undergo a mandatory minimum quarantine of 14 days, which can be extended if required. Likewise, they have the alternative of quarantining in certain hotels or lodgings (called Hotel Salud) in the event that they can afford it. From April to much of June, the majority of confirmed cases came from shelters, however at the end of the same month the panorama changed, with community (local) cases prevailing over those detected in shelters.
The advisory minister for International Affairs of the Presidency of the Republic, reported that by the end of June more than 8,000 returnees had already passed through shelters (at least 10% of them testing positive for coronavirus). According to the Inter-institutional Coordination Center (CCI), by then, about 70 shelters and 40 'Salud' hotels were located in different parts of the country.
Impacts
Economy
Paraguay's economy will contract between 2.5% and 5% in 2020 due to the halt in economic activities brought on by social isolation measures to contain the coronavirus. The projection is a stark turnaround from the Central Bank of Paraguay in December 2019 estimate of 4.1% growth in the year. The bank's new estimate also goes further than the International Monetary Fund, which projected in mid-April a contraction of 1.0%.
But the government of President Mario Abdo Benítez has been heavily criticised for failing to support people left without income during the total quarantine. Sixty-five per cent of Paraguay's workers earn their living in the informal economy and have no access to benefits during the coronavirus crisis.
Event cancellations
As social distancing entered the public lexicon, emergency management leaders encouraged the cancellation of large gatherings to slow the rate of infection, these are a few cancelled or postponed events:
| Event | Original Date | Venue | Status | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chayanne concert | March 14, 2020 | SND Arena | Postponed | [43] |
| Karol G concert | March 14, 2020 | Jockey Club | Postponed | |
| Soda Stereo concert | March 18, 2020 | Jockey Club | Postponed | |
| Asunciónico | March 31 and April 7, 2020 | Jockey Club | Postponed | [44] |
| Kiss concert | May 7, 2020 | Jockey Club | Postponed |
Statistics
Cumulative number of cases, recoveries and deaths
Total cases Recoveries Active cases Deaths
Confirmed new cases per day
Confirmed deaths per day
Total number of hospitalizations
References
- Confirmed cases not detected in Supervised Isolations (shelters) designated by the Government.
- Ritchie, Hannah; Mathieu, Edouard; Rodés-Guirao, Lucas; Appel, Cameron; Giattino, Charlie; Ortiz-Ospina, Esteban; Hasell, Joe; Macdonald, Bobbie; Beltekian, Diana; Dattani, Saloni; Roser, Max (2020–2022). "Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)". Our World in Data. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- "COVID-19 - Informacion sobre el Corona Virus" (in Spanish). Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- "En Paraguay: Suspenden clases y prohíben aglomeración de personas por 15 días". rockandpop.cl (in Spanish). 11 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- "Advierten que cierre de fronteras será para personas, no para mercaderías".
- "Suman 18 casos de coronavirus y se confirma propagación comunitaria". ultimahora.com. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- "Ministerio de Salud confirma primer fallecido por coronavirus en Paraguay". ultimahora.com. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- "La cuarentena irá hasta el domingo 12 de abril y aislamiento total con excepciones hasta el 28 de marzo". www.abc.com.py. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- Desantis, Daniela (24 April 2020). "Paraguay plans switch to 'smart' quarantine after coronavirus curve flattens". Reuters.
- "Home". covid19.who.int.
- "SARS | Home | Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome | SARS-CoV Disease | CDC".
- "Sputnik V Vaccine".
- Elsevier. "Novel Coronavirus Information Center". Elsevier Connect. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- Reynolds, Matt (4 March 2020). "What is coronavirus and how close is it to becoming a pandemic?". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- "Crunching the numbers for coronavirus". Imperial News. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- "High consequence infectious diseases (HCID); Guidance and information about high consequence infectious diseases and their management in England". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- "World Federation Of Societies of Anaesthesiologists – Coronavirus". www.wfsahq.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- @msaludpy (7 March 2020). "URGENTE #Paraguay confirma primer caso de #COVID19" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Romo, Rafael (7 March 2020). "Se confirma el primer caso de coronavirus en Paraguay". CNN (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- "Paraguay Says Suspends Public Schools for 15 Days Due to Coronavirus". The New York Times. Reuters. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- Inostroza, María Ignacia (11 March 2020). "En Paraguay: Suspenden clases y prohíben aglomeración de personas por 15 días". rockandpop.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- "Paraguay suspende ingreso de vuelos provenientes de Europa". abc.com (in Spanish). 12 March 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- "Coronavirus: Latin America imposes military roadblocks, curfews". Gulf News. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- "Paraguay Confirms First Death Due to Coronavirus: Health Ministry". NY Times. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- "Paraguay: Nationwide quarantine extended through April 19 /Update 4".
- "Se realizaron 377 pruebas de COVID-19 y todas fueron negativas". ABC Color. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- "Risk Alerts | Crisis24".
- "Archived copy". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - "Staying during coronavirus - Paraguay travel advice". GOV.UK. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
Text was copied from this source, which is available under an Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright. - "Cuarentena: Fase 3 inicia este lunes, no así en Paraguarí y Concepción - Nacionales - ABC Color". www.abc.com.py (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- "Resuelven que Alto Paraná vuelva a cuarentena casi total por 14 días - Nacionales - ABC Color". www.abc.com.py (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- "Asunción y Central seguirán en la fase 3 hasta el 30 de agosto". ultimahora.com (in European Spanish). Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- "México dona 400 mil vacunas AstraZeneca para Belice, Bolivia y Paraguay". El Universal (in Spanish). 12 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- py.usembassy.gov (12 January 2022)
- "Recomiendan dejar atrás cuarentena por fases y flexibilizar restricciones". abc (in Spanish). 2 October 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- "Estamos atravesando una segunda ola de contagios, asegura médico | Noticias Paraguay" (in Spanish). 9 March 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
- "Mazzoleni confirma su renuncia - Nacionales - ABC Color". www.abc.com.py (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- "Renunció el ministro de salud de Paraguay en medio del colapso del sistema sanitario por la pandemia de COVID-19". infobae (in European Spanish). 5 March 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- "Vacunas Sputnik V contra el Covid-19 llegan al país tras larga espera". ultimahora.com (in European Spanish). Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- "Primeras 4.000 vacunas antiCOVID llegarán el jueves - Nacionales - ABC Color". www.abc.com.py (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- Valencia, Alexandra (7 March 2021). "Chile donates 40,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine to Ecuador and Paraguay". Reuters. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "CoronaVac, vacuna de alta eficacia". Ministerio de Salud Publica Y Bienestar Social. Archived from the original on 10 March 2021.
- Concierto de Chayanne se suspende y aún no tiene nueva fecha ABC, 11 March 2020
- Postergan el Asunciónico 2020 por la pandemia del coronavirus HOY, 12 March 2020
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg.png.webp){kind=small}
