Venezuela confirms 56 new coronavirus cases and number rises to 1,117

The Minister for Communication and Information, Jorge Rodríguez, reported on Monday the detection of 56 new Covid-19 coronavirus cases, which brings the total number of infected by the outbreak in the country to 1,177.

In statements from Miraflores Palace, Rodríguez explained that out of the new 56 cases, 10 are for community transmission, 42 are imported (32 from Colombia and 10 from Brazil), and four are members of the health personnel who had contact with a person infected by the outbreak.

He also indicated that of the total 1,117 COVID-19 cases, 302 have been recovered, 476 people in hospitals, 372 in Comprehensive Diagnostic Centers, 17 in private clinics, and the figure of 10 deaths remains.

In relation to the application of diagnostic tests, he highlighted that 832,526 tests have been performed, which represents 27,751 tests per million inhabitants.

Minister Rodríguez pointed out that the cases registered in Zulia state correspond to the focus of contagion of the “Las Pulgas” market, in Maracaibo city, due to the contempt of the measures of social distancing and the (non compliance with the) compulsory use of the face mask in public spaces.

“Maracaibo can become a more dangerous focus than Nueva Esparta and Miranda states”, he stressed, while urging the inhabitants of neighboring parishes “to comply much more strictly with confinement and radical quarantine regulations”.

More than 49,000 compatriots return to Venezuela:

As a result of the lack of care and containment policies for the pandemic in the region, 49,628 compatriots have returned to the country through the border area.

He specified that, between May 9 and 25, Venezuela reported 789 COVID-19 cases, of which 605 (77%) correspond to compatriots who returned from Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Ecuador.