COVID cases are on the rise again in Paraguay, and our partners there have asked us to postpone our plans for a neurosurgery mission this month.

Our shipment of supplies arrived in Paraguay as the pandemic began to surge. The delivery was presented to the hospital as small source of solidarity and support in the midst of growing health crisis.

The coronavirus variant from Brazil, a more aggressive mutation of the virus, is causing COVID-19 surges in many areas of North and South America. In the face of this ongoing crisis, we remain committed to the common good.

Operating in this pandemic poses greater risks to patients, and to their medical teams in the operating room. And yet, care must continue. As surgeries resume in our programs, safety is our top priority.

Social workers share how the coronavirus quarantine has impacted their work, the challenges our patients are living through, and their commitment to accompany those who suffer.

The coronavirus is spreading rapidly through the medical community in Bolivia, and the deaths of many accomplished professionals will have devastating long-term impacts on the health system for decades to come.

Bolivia is now among the top 10 countries in the world most affected by the coronavirus.

While all but emergency surgeries have been delayed by the COVID-19 crisis, many of our medical partners in hospitals across Bolivia are still working on the front lines.

In the fight against the coronavirus, Bolivia has now adopted a three tier system for quarantine, designating each locality as Low, Medium, or High Risk and applying restrictions accordingly. The crisis remains very serious and yet, our work must continue.

Since the beginning of the orders in the U.S. to “shelter in place” Solidarity Bridge has remained connected to our solidarity community in Paraguay. Today we share a letter from one of our partners.

Maria Eugenia Brockmann, friend of Solidarity Bridge, shares a first-hand account of how she and her fellow Bolivians are experiencing this pandemic.

As we undergo this period of isolation due to the coronavirus, we want to remain close to our friends, partners, and patients in Bolivia. To keep you connected to the Bolivian reality, we are sharing this update, relayed by our colleague in Cochabamba.