Lack of Medical Personnel and ICU Beds plague El Salvador during COVID 19 Crisis
Maryknoll Affiliates in the US stay abreast of the effects that COVID 19 is having in all parts of our country; we also have a deep concern for all Maryknollers living throughout the world. A check-in with my friend Maryknoll Lay missioner Peg Vamosy gave me a birds eye view of life in the municipality of Monte San Juan in the Department of Custalán, El Salvador, a community about 17 miles from San Salvador with a population of about 12,000 people.
A family (a big family!) waits for the Corpus Christi procession
El Salvador had been in strict lockdown - however, the court ruled all the emergency declarations and enforced quarantines unconstitutional, allowing everyone to come and go as they please. Many businesses made the decision to open ahead of schedule and the number of COVID 19 cases increased dramatically. The government reports numbers daily, https://covid19.gob.sv/ yet no one believes the numbers anymore as the hospitals, the morgues and the cemeteries in the cities are all overflowing and the number of reported deaths remains very low. Testing is an issue, many believe there are not enough labs available to process even the limited amount of current tests. The convention center is in the process of being turned into a large hospital; phase 1 is complete which added 400 beds, phase 2 is nearly done and when phase 3 is finished it will have added 1,000 beds. While that is a huge accomplishment, many medical personnel have died of Covid 19 and currently the 200 beds that are available cannot be used due to lack of medical personnel with technical training to treat people in ICU.
Peg Vamosy continues to stay connected to fellow Lay Missioners, friends, family and members of her Salvadoran community (where she works on environmental issues that include organic farming, a watershed project and pastoral accompaniment). Those who have internet capabilities connect via Zoom and WhatsApp and occasionally gather in small groups while maintaining social distancing guidelines and wearing masks. Internet availability is not readily available, this is a challenge for many in all countries. Churches are opening slowly, processions in Monte San Juan have resumed albeit in a different way. Everyone, everywhere needs community.
I continue to keep all members of the greater Maryknoll family and the people of Monte San Juan El Salvador in my prayers as we struggle to fight this Coronavirus pandemic.