January 6, 20215:05 PM UTC
Healthcare & PharmaceuticalsPeru and Bolivia see hospitals overflow, cases rise as fears of second wave grow
Maria Cervantes
5 minutes read
The critical-care wards of major hospitals in Peru and Bolivia stand at or near collapse after end-of-year holidays, reflecting wider regional public health capacity concerns as much of Latin America struggles to secure adequate COVID-19 vaccine supplies.
While infection counts remain below last year's peak, depleted resources, weary medical workers and a recent rush of severe cases are taxing already ailing healthcare systems from Chile to Mexico, officials say.
In Bolivia, long lines of patients seeking tests snaked along the street outside a hospital complex in the Andean city of La Paz, prompting fears of worsening contagion amid the chaos.