Abstract:
Ecuador's response to the COVID-19 pandemic started on February 26, 2020, when the first case was detected in Guayaquil. Several mitigation measures were implemented at that time, including temperature monitoring, and checking for other COVID-19 related symptoms in travelers returning from high-risk countries. Yet, as the cases continued to rise, several policies were implemented to reduce the number of infections, following the example of other countries including Spain, Italy, France, and China. Activities deemed non-essential were suspended, school and universities were closed, and virtual platforms were encouraged to sustain academic activities, jobs, and medical care. Ecuador closed its land, air, and sea borders and several restrictions to vehicular and pedestrian traffic were implemented as part of a national lockdown. Nonetheless and despite these measures, the number of cases overrun the national health services. One ominous sign of this surge in infections was the eight-fold increment in expected fatalities during the first two weeks of April. Health care systems like our own and all over the world were not prepared for this disease, as we witnessed the human toll COVID-19 took in New York City, Madrid, and northern Italy. Due to our scarce resources and the high demand for medical attention in an already strained medical service, healthcare providers such as surgeons, anesthesiologists, urologists, and gynecologists had to assume the role of clinicians. Most of the surgical workforce was transferred and are still in COVID-19 care.