The number of new coronavirus cases in Colombia on Thursday – 205 – almost matched those of Wednesday and down from 207. The number of infected patients with COVID-19 in the country now totals 4561.
On Thursday, the Ministry of Health confirmed nine fatalities, down one from 10 in the last 24-hours. The latest victims of COVID-19 passed away in Valledupar, Barranquilla, Santa Marta, Cartagena, Leticia and Bogotá. The national death toll now stands at 215.
Of the 205 new cases confirmed from 3457 test results performed by the National Institute of Health, 51 patients are in Bogotá, 36 in the department of Meta, 34 in Valle del Cauca, 33 in Antioquia, 19 in Santa Marta, 6 in Amazonas, 5 in Atlántico, 4 in Cartagena, 4 in Risaralda, 3 in Cundinamarca, 3 in Magdalena, 2 in Barranquilla and one case each in Tolima, Chocó, Santander, Bolívar and Cauca.
The 51 new coronavirus cases in Bogotá saw a decrease in infections from 84 on Wednesday and 82 on Tuesday. Bogotá’s total now stands at 1883.
One confirmed death from COVID-19 was reported in the capital on Thursday.
The department of Valle del Cauca is the hardest hit region with COVID-19 with 775 cases after the Colombian capital. The Ministry of Health confirmed that 927 persons have recovered from the disease, 343 are hospitalized and 119 in ICU. The INS confirmed that 70.396 have tested negative of the disease and 4,000 are being treated for symptoms at home.
While the slight decrease in infections in Bogotá is encouraging for district health authorities, on Thursday, of 51 cases in the capital, seven tested positive in the largest food depot Corabastos resulting in the closure of two warehouses for not carrying-out obligatory disinfection. Corabastos will close from Saturday 4 pm to the same time on Sunday in order for sanitation teams to conduct a cleaning of the grounds. The closure does not affect the food supply of the capital. Other coronavirus cases have been reported at a mental health clinic and maximum security prison La Picota.
Colombian President Iván Duque talked with U.S President Donald Trump on Thursday in what was described by the Colombian leader as a “fraternal phonecall” to coordinate efforts to confront the pandemic and reaffirm a strong bilateral relationship. Duque revealed that the U.S will make a donation to Colombia of ventilators to help the country’s health workers confront a pandemic that has claimed the lives of an estimated 186,000 worldwide.
