Coronavirus in Lempira Honduras - Update

A line graph showing the diagnosed cases of coronavirus in the department of Lempira would illustrate a small outbreak in one city (La Union) and then nothing for weeks and weeks, followed by a little spike of cases in scattered locations.

The lack of confirmed cases for that period may be related to the fact that Honduras has not been able to do a lot of testing. The country’s testing recently jumped from 100 tests per day to between 300-500 tests per day. There has been a surge in confirmed cases all over the country, as the number of cases has jumped proportionately to the increase in testing.

Aside from a small cluster of cases in the city of La Union, there has not been a cluster anywhere else in the department of Lempira. One case pops up in a remote village and then another case pops up in another far-removed village. It’s like a giant game of Whack-a-Mole.

One possible reason for the isolated cases might be that the area is largely poor and many people never check in with a doctor. In the U.S., if you are showing a few symptoms, you likely contact your physician. That’s simply not the way things work in rural Honduras. The hypothesis is that the asymptomatic people and those with milder cases are spreading the illness, while only the very sick - who also have some money - go in for medical attention and testing.

Disclaimer - this is a Trish-created map, and should
not be assumed to be 100% accurate

There are currently cases in villages all around the Sowers’ home--though none are super close.  Currently, the area’s restrictions are about the same as other places in Honduras. People are permitted to get out to grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, hardware stores, and banks - one day every other week. Only the big cities have more restrictions in place.

The spread is slow and hard to track. Trish said it is certainly not a scary situation, though she is continuing to be vigilant with precautions because the virus is now known to be in communities near them. It was just a matter of time before it began spreading into the smaller communities. There was one case involving a hospital worker in Gracias. The Sowerses have heard that a person with symptoms from another part of Lempira went to the hospital, and that contact caused the staff member to become infected.

At this time, there are no reported cases of the coronavirus in any of the sponsorship centers. There are no known cases within the Sowers4Pastors general feeding program, either.

Food Relief

When this started, the people in rural communities were better off than people in the city. Now, even people with their own land are struggling, with no way to earn money to purchase food. The rain may make things a little easier, as crops grow.

The funds being donated toward the food crisis will be used to purchase food within Honduras. A donation of $100 will purchase 1000 meals at the higher price of 10 cents per meal (the food that is normally shipped in costs the ministry about 2 cents per meal). 1000 meals may sound like a lot, but remember that Sowers4Pastors is trying to feed between 14,000-15,000 kids and some of their family members as much as five meals per week. As you make your monthly budget, please don’t forget to make this a priority if you can.

We're very grateful to all of those who have donated so far, toward this emergency! If you'd like to help, here is the link for donating:

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

 - posted by Christi