Bogotá DC, August 27, 2020. One of the cities that has been most affected by covid-19 in Colombia is Barranquilla, as recognized by the deputy minister of Health and Provision of Services, Luis Alexander Moscoso, in his remarks in the Prevention and Action program of the Presidency of the Republic. However, today the outlook is different for the capital of Atlantico.
"Barranquilla had very difficult moments. The curve sky-rocketed, people had a high rate of infections, but the Barranquilla residents also made a responsible commitment and began to work on all measures," said the deputy minister, at the time when the impact on the District has begun to stabilize.
Moscoso highlighted that prevention and self-care measures do work and the case of Barranquilla is a clear example of how permanent hand washing, physical distancing of more than two meters and the correct use of face masks in most of the citizenship generate a positive effect.
In turn, the Secretary of Health of Barranquilla, Humberto Mendoza, explained that participatory planning with all sectors of the city since March, the starting point, transmitting confidence with permanent reports to citizens and interested parties; and assertive communication with the National Government, was what assisted the city in creating conditions to face the peak of the pandemic.
"Today Barranquilla has 192,000 PCR tests processed, a rate of 16,000 PCR tests per 100,000 inhabitants, which is the highest in Colombia, above Bogotá, Medellín and Cali," Mendoza said.
He added that the strategy has been to search for cases "and we found them with active community searches through the Community Action Boards, with the presidents of the Local Administrative Boards, and with the EPSs that entered the neighborhoods to take independent samples, whether or not they were enrolled," he added.
All this work of the District was supported by the National Government, which delivered, through the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the Emergency Mitigation Fund (FOME), 111 ventilators while increasing the installed capacity in intensive care units (ICUs) by 40%.
In this way, "today Barranquilla has a low infection rate, so it can be done. If we all take responsible attitudes, if we are aware that the disease is there but that we can prevent it, I believe that we can reduce covid-19 not only in Barranquilla, but throughout the country," concluded Deputy Minister Moscoso.
