What's the Situation in Honduras Now?

If you look at the latest Covid-19 information for Honduras, you will see that the department of Lempira has had the fewest cases in the country. On the surface, that’s great news. But it isn’t the whole story.

San Pedro Sula (in the department of Cortes) and Tegucigalpa (in the department of Francisco Morazán) continue to be the hardest-hit areas. The next level of cities, by size, are also seeing an increase in numbers. There have been more than 30,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country. The number of people who have recovered is only 3400. There are a lot of incredibly sick people filling the hospitals.

In many parts of the country, hospitals are full. In the hardest hit areas, tent shelters are springing up outside the hospitals, for the overflow patients. The situation is really out of hand. The shelters are being erected out of compassion, even if they are less than ideal. The government is trying to keep up with the challenges, but it’s like fighting a wildfire with a single water hose that has a massive kink in it. A government building in Tegucigalpa was converted into a makeshift hospital, and a mobile hospital is coming in through the ports now. Unfortunately, even established hospitals don’t have enough supplies for personal safety, oxygen, ventilators, etc. As Trish said, opening new buildings is not going to magically produce all the things that are needed.

Even though Lempira is behind the rest of the country in Covid-19 cases, there is reason to believe that will soon change. Recently, four inmates from the prison on the outskirts of Gracias were taken to the hospital. They all died. A significant number of guards and prison staff are ill. In Honduras, it takes several weeks to a month to get test results, so it’s likely that the numbers aren’t really so low.

Photos from one of the larger hospitals in Honduras:

Given the new developments, Allen has entered into isolation. He is currently in his own living space for two weeks and then he will be able to be with Trish. You can imagine how much he’s enjoying being alone and cooped up all day. In case you haven’t heard, Allen is a Type A, extroverted, people person with more energy than the Energizer Bunny. Trish reports that he is going out extremely early every morning to take very long walks, to burn off some excess energy. (In case you were wondering, the church building project in Quelecasque is still moving forward with Russell at the helm.)

There have still been almost no cases of this coronavirus reported in the areas where Sowers4Pastors has sponsorship and feeding centers. Even though this is an area where sick people don’t necessarily go to the doctor, as far as the Sowerses know, those rural areas are mostly unaffected by the actual virus.

The lockdown situation, however, is still hurting people because fewer people are working. As previously reported, the economy was starting back up. Stores (in addition to grocery stores and pharmacies) were opening up, as long as people followed preventative measures . . . however, with the outbreak at the prison, Gracias has had to backtrack on this.

Please continue to keep Lempira and the rest of Honduras in your prayers.

 - posted by Christi