A funeral worker wears a face mask with an illustration of Jesus, outside Los Ceibos hospital amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Medical personnel measure the temperature of passengers who have arrived on interprovincial buses, after Ecuador's government announced the closure of its borders from Sunday to all foreign travelers due to the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), at the bus terminal, in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Police officers stand by a pharmacy entrance as people crowd around attempting to buy surgical masks and disinfectant gel after the first case of a fast-spreading new coronavirus was confirmed in the country in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Women hide their faces in a night club during a police operation to tackle COVID-19 restrictions violations, amid a rise in coronavirus disease cases and deaths, in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
A building beside the Guayas River shows an ecuadorean flag during the first days of the COVID-19 pandemic in Guayaquil.
A 94-year-old woman prepares to have a sample taken by doctors from the Ecuadorian health ministry's rapid response team for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after showing symptoms of the disease, at her home in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Drone image of the center of guayaquil, during the first days of quarantine.
A medicine cabinet organiser is seen at a dialysis centre, amidst the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Funeral workers wait with a coffin in the back of a pick-up truck outside Los Ceibos hospital as health and funeral services have been overwhelmed amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Vicente Vera, 85, who is experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19, talks to his son before Vera travels to Guayaquil for medical care, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Cerrito de los Morrenos, Ecuador
DOCUMENT DATE: 20 May, 2020 Candles burn in front of a religious shrine at the home of Emiliana Ponce, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Buena Vista, Ecuador, April 21, 2020. Ponce, who suffers from liver problems and has not seen a doctor in two months due to the high demand of medical services related to COVID-19, is cared for by her daughter Esperanza Chalen Ponce. Her granddaughter Angela Chalen, who lives by collecting crab and oyster said: "We are unprotected because the doctors have not come down for two months. They must be working in Guayaquil by now."
Sulin Sarango, 25, touches her father Angel Sarango's coffin, who died earlier that day after reporting symptoms consistent with COVID-19, as she mourns with her sister's Sandy Sarango and and Betsy Sarango at the cemetery El Cementerio General de Puerto Chanduy, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Chanduy, Ecuador
Maria Alarcon, 54, is comforted by her children Sulin Sarango, 25, and Angel Sarango, 34, as she reacts during the burial of her husband Angel Sarango, 74, who died that day after reporting symptoms consistent with COVID-19, at the cemetery El Cementerio General de Puerto Chanduy, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Chanduy, Ecuador
Victoriano Vera, 49, a certified public accountant, is sprayed with a chlorine solution, which has become a standard procedure for every person and boat arriving at the town pier during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Puerto Roma, Ecuador
Cristian Jordan, 37, who suffers from dengue fever and is experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19, rests at his home, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Puerto Roma, Ecuador
Virgilio Dominguez, 59, who is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, lies in a hammock as his son sits in front of him at their home, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Pechiche, Ecuador
Wooden crosses stand at a cemetery, where some people reported experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 died at Liborio Panchana Sotomayor Hospital, have been brought to be buried, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in La Libertad, Ecuador
A local volunteer, who is helping to disinfect buildings in his town during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, wears protective clothing as he disinfects a home with a chlorine solution, in Zapotal, Ecuador
Emperatriz Escudero, 48, who sells produce, stands in her truck as she serves customers, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in El Real, Ecuador
Marina Cruz, 59, holds a portrait of her late husband Alfredo Cruz, 64, who died at a local hospital after experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19, as she poses for a photograph at her home, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Pechiche, Ecuador, May 2, 2020. Cruz believes she was also infected with the coronavirus, but decided to stay at home.
Denisse Toala (3rd R), a 16-year-old student, teaches children in an improvised school she has set up under a tree since they have been unable to attend virtual classes in the low-income neighbourhood Realidad de Dios, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Denisse Toala (C), a 16-year-old student, teaches children in an improvised school she has set up under a tree since they have been unable to attend virtual classes in the low-income neighbourhood Realidad de Dios, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Margarita Gomez, nurse of the emergency room of the Quito South Social Security Institute, treats patient suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno reacts in the rain after the arrival of a first batch of doses of COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, as the outbreak of the coronavirus disease continues, in Guayaquil, Ecuador
A healthcare worker receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at the Guasmo Hospital in Guayaquil, Ecuador
A woman reacts as she receives the first dose of China's Sinovac Biotech vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), during a mass vaccination program for the elderly, at the Bolivarian Technology Institute in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Covid in Guayaquil
Reuters
During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Guayaquil, in Ecuador, experienced significant community transmission. By March 13, the country recorded its first death, and cases continued to rise, leading to government-imposed restrictions. Guayaquil faced a surge in community transmission between April and May 2020, but by July, Quito surpassed it as the new epicenter.
As of May 7, 2022, Ecuador reported 870,526 confirmed cases and 35,598 deaths. A year later, on May 12, 2023, the figures increased to 1,065,013 confirmed cases and 67,527 deaths.