Ramaswami: The government’s swift response was necessary, especially since the brutal economic sanctions imposed on the country by the US have weakened the capacity of the healthcare system and infrastructure of Venezuela to respond to a challenge of this magnitude. In addition, the Venezuelan government asked for aid in terms of personnel and supplies from China and Cuba who have already responded. They also requested a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF had announced that it would give special aid-packages for countries to counter coronavirus, but refused to provide the same to Venezuela. Currently, the number of cases in Venezuela is 77.