Peru, where COVID-19 deaths per capita are highest in world, facing severe hunger crisis

South America is witnessing surge in COVID-19 cases at an alarming rate this year, with the number of fatalities in Latin America and the Caribbean has crossed one million in the month of May, as per the Pan American Health Organization. A research by Johns Hopkins University's COVID-19 resource centre stated that Peru has the highest fatality rate per capita of any country in the world with over 600 COVID-related deaths per 100,000 people. Meanwhile, the study has also found that there are 242 COVID fatalities per 100,000 persons in the United States. 

In spite of having tight borders and statewide lockdowns, patients swamped the healthcare system, and the poverty situation in Peru worsened as millions more are facing famine due to rising poverty and hunger, ABC News reported. As per local data, poverty afflicted 30.1% of the Peruvian population in 2020, a rise of 9.9 percent from 2019. 

Hunger crisis in Latin America and the Caribbean

In addition to this, a study published by the United Nation in 2021 reveals that the percentage of starvation in Latin America and the Caribbean has reached 9.1% which is considered to be the highest level in 15 years. According to the UN study, hunger grew by 2% in Latin America and the Caribbean between the time period of 2019 and 2020, with 59.7 million individuals in the area suffering from starvation.  

Furthermore, former Peruvian health minister Victor Zamora told ABC News that even though the vaccine effort has eased the crisis in the nation, however, many have yet to recover financially. "I hope our leaders in Peru; economic and political, social leaders will find a way to lead the country out of this very poor situation," ABC News reported, citing Zamora. 

As there is a rise in poverty in Peru, food distribution facilities such as Olla Comun, which translates to "community pot," have become crucial for some Peruvians to stay alive. According to ABC news, a staff member at Olla Comun said, “Sometimes we only think about kids but older adults need to be fed also to have a better quality of life." 

COVID cases in Peru

Meanwhile, Olinda Huamani, a single mother of three children, living in a rural area outside of Lima, Peru, has battled to feed her children during COVID-19 pandemic. Huamani stated that she used to clean houses for a living but had lost her job due to the lockdowns. Further, as per Worldometers, over 2,251,027 individuals have been affected by the disease in the nation since the outbreak, and more than 201,650 Peruvians have lost their lives due to Coronavirus.