Uruguay is warding off the coronavirus pandemic better than other Latin American nations. The country’s low population density and a robust health care system are big factors in its success.
Latin America has been in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic for weeks. Along with the United States, the region forms the epicenter of the global outbreak. But there is an exception to every rule: Uruguay has an impressive record in fighting the disease in comparison with many other Latin American countries.
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the small South American country has registered 1,516 cases of coronavirus infection and 42 deaths from COVID-19 since the epidemic began there on March 13.
“At the beginning, the desire for national unity was pivotal. All the key actors came together to tackle the pandemic from all sides,” Giovanni Escalante, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) representative in Uruguay, told DW. He added that the country had always been outstanding for its good system of active epidemiological surveillance.
