As coronavirus spreads across Latin America, Venezuelan authorities have reported very few cases so far (167 confirmed, 9 deaths). Some people, including the Venezuelan opposition, dispute the figures. Thread follows.

Nicolás Maduro ordered a nationwide lockdown at the early stage of the outbreak and that probably has helped tackle the coronavirus spread and save lives. But… There are big buts though.

Though Nicolás Maduro’s poor transparency records can raise doubts, medical staff in hospitals all across the country who I’m in regular contact with have been consistently referring to business as usual in their units over the last few weeks.

“Business as usual” in Venezuelan hospitals means shortages of protective equipment, medicines or even water, but not an avalanche of coronavirus related pneumonia patients.

The main concern coronavirus has brought to Venezuela yet is the lack of gasoline. It’s tightly rationed by the military and almost impossible to find it anywhere. Without gasoline there probably won’t be food in the markets either.

Why has coronavirus led to a lack of gasoline in Venezuela? It’s been a perfect storm made of years of mismanagement in the oil state company, the impact of US sanctions plus the collapse of global oil markets unleashed by the price war between the Russians and the Saudis.

Unable to produce gasoline because its refineries stopped working time ago, the Venezuelan government cannot now either import it as it used to.

If the severe gasoline shortage is not sorted soon, the Venezuelan supply chain will resent sooner than later and farmers won’t be able to put their products on the market shelves. That in a country where @WFP estimates a third of the population don’t have enough food.

Some farmers have started scrapping harvests because they don’t have gasoline to carry them to markets. Food scarcity will also likely push Venezuelan inflation even further and hinder relief efforts during the coronavirus outbreak.

So, coronavirus can really hit hard to Venezuelans even when its spread is apparently under control and the number of cases remains low.

In these gloomy circumstances, common sense and humanity would suggest that a political agreement to put differences aside is the best way to help Venezuela and international agencies deal with the coronavirus crisis, but we’re far from seeing that.

The opposition has pledged to keep up pressure against Maduro and the US recently indicted him and upheld its sanctions. Maduro’s security forces in turn have arrested a number of opposition activists.

If the world’s present and near future look sombre because of the coronavirus crisis, it could be even worse for Venezuelans.