In Ecuador, Families Wait with Their Dead as Bodies Pile Up

Daniel Larrea died recently after several days of high fever and struggling to breathe while slowly turning blue – signs of being infected with the new coronavirus.

Then his family found an unexpected¹ problem: No one in their city of Quito, Ecuador would pick up his body.

"We wrapped him up in black plastic," Larrea's wife, Karina, said.

The small South American nation has recorded only 120 deaths from COVID-19. But officials say there could be many more who died from the virus. Nationwide, there were 3,160 cases confirmed last week. The real numbers are likely higher.

In recent days, pictures of the dead and appeals from families have appeared on social media. Images of bodies and coffins³ left on sidewalks have appeared on television.

Doctors say there are not enough tests in the country. This makes it difficult to identify and isolate⁴ the sick to try to stop the spread of COVID-19. There are also not enough hospital beds or medical equipment.

"We are seeing a situation quite similar to that of Italy," said Dr. Mireya Rodas. She treats patients at a Guayaquil hospital.

Ecuador identified its first case of COVID-19 on February 29, a 71-year-old woman from Spain. Ecuador was one of the first Latin⁵ American countries to confirm the arrival of the disease⁶.

Medical experts fear the problems in Guayaquil may be what awaits⁷ the country in coming weeks and months. The area has 70 percent of the virus cases in the country.

Enrique Acosta is a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic research in Germany. He expects there will be more deaths from the disease.

Acosta is among a group of experts urging Latin American governments to quickly increase testing. They believe the true number of coronavirus cases in Ecuador could be five times the official count or higher.

Health officials defended Ecuador's reactions to the growing number of cases. They said new technology would soon permit testing to increase to 1,400 a day.

Meanwhile, many Ecuadorians are dying⁸ of unrelated diseases⁹. They cannot be treated because hospitals are crowded with coronavirus patients.

Seventy-one-year-old Carmen Suarez recently died at her home in Guayaquil. Her family believes it was kidney¹⁰ failure. Before she died, family members tried to find a hospital that would accept her, but there were no beds available. They were told that taking her to a hospital would be very risky¹¹ because of the spread of coronavirus.

Esteban Ortiz is a public health specialist. He said there was only enough medical equipment for 175 patients in Guayas which includes Guayaquil.

He said, "We're not giving them a chance to come and get medical attention."

Words in This Story

coffin² – n. the wooden box bodies are buried in

isolate – v. to remove from the presence¹² of other people

kidney – n. either of two organs in your body that remove waste products from your blood and make urine

1 unexpected   

adj.想不到的，意外的

参考例句：

• I always keep some good wine in for unexpected guests.我总保存些好酒，用来招待不速之客。
• His promotion was unexpected.他的升迁出人意料。

2 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

3 coffins   

n.棺材( coffin的名词复数 )；使某人早亡[死，完蛋，垮台等]之物

参考例句：

• The shop was close and hot, and the atmosphere seemed tainted with the smell of coffins. 店堂里相当闷热，空气仿佛被棺木的味儿污染了。 来自辞典例句
• Donate some coffins to the temple, equal to the number of deaths. 到寺庙里，捐赠棺材盒给这些死者吧。 来自电影对白

4 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

5 Latin   

adj.拉丁的，拉丁语的，拉丁人的；n.拉丁语

参考例句：

• She learned Latin without a master.她无师自通学会了拉丁语。
• Please use only Latin characters.请仅使用拉丁文字符。

6 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

7 awaits   

v.等候( await的第三人称单数 )；等待；期待；将发生在

参考例句：

• A warm welcome awaits her. 热烈的欢迎等待着她。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A warm welcome awaits all our customers. 对我们所有的顾客准备好热烈的欢迎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 dying   

adj.垂死的，临终的

参考例句：

• He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
• She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子，那里有一个垂死的人。

9 diseases   

n.疾病( disease的名词复数 )；弊端；恶疾；痼疾

参考例句：

• Smoking is a causative factor in several major diseases. 抽烟是引起几种严重疾病的病因。
• The illness frequently coexists with other chronic diseases. 这种病往往与其他慢性病同时存在。

10 kidney   

n.肾，腰子，类型

参考例句：

• Several of the patients had received kidney transplant.病人中有几位已接受了肾移植手术。
• The operation to transplant a kidney is now fairly routine.肾脏移植手术如今已相当常见。

11 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

12 presence   

n.出席；到场；存在

参考例句：

• Her presence lent an air of respectability to the occasion.她的到场使那种场合增添了崇高的气氛。
• His presence is indicative of his willingness to help.他的出席表示他愿意帮忙。