Army helps provide services for Argentina's poor

Argentina's armed forces have joined in the fight against COVID-19 with troops making food for thousands of people in impoverished neighborhoods and setting up a mobile hospital.

The Argentine Army has set up military range cookers in two poor areas on the outskirts of Buenos Aires from which point they travel further into the neighborhoods with military trucks to deliver hundreds of portions of food per day to people in need.

With a poverty rate of more than 35%, according to the latest official figures, many people in Argentina are struggling to make ends meet, so a number of people have resorted to soup kitchens.

In fact, the number of people requesting food assistance has increased from eight million people to 11 million people following the government lockdown to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, leaving some unable to work.

Argentina's Defense Minister Agustín Rossi believes that beyond the social services the army is providing, the presence of troops helps keep order in these unsettling times.

Closer to the center of Buenos Aires, the Air Force has set up a mobile hospital with 26 beds.

The hospital, made of shipping containers, was used in many United Nations missions including those to Kosovo and Haiti among others.

As of Friday the new coronavirus has infected 1,265 people and killed 37 in Argentina.

In most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that disappear in two to three weeks.

But in some people, especially older adults and those with underlying health conditions, it can lead to more serious illness and even death.