Coronavirus cases in Ecuador top 10,000, 4th highest in region

Ecuador reported more than 10,000 cases of the coronavirus on Monday, the fourth-highest tally in Latin America, as the disease ravages the economy of the oil-producing country.

The pandemic in recent weeks has overwhelmed sanitary authorities in the largest city of Guayaquil, the centre of the Andean nation’s outbreak, where corpses remained in homes or for hours on streets.

Ecuador recorded its first coronavirus case on February 29 and took 24 days to reach 1,000 cases. It took seven days for cases to double to 2,000, eight days to double to 4,000 and eight days to double again to 8,000, according to a Reuters tally.

The Andean nation has reported a total of 507 deaths, the health ministry said.

In Latin America, only Brazil, Peru and Chile have more cases.