Colombian defense minister dies after being infected

Colombian Defense Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo, 69, died on Tuesday following complications from Covid-19, Colombian President Ivan Duque announced.

“Carlos Holmes Trujillo died today (Tuesday) at dawn, after a deterioration of his state of health while fighting against the Covid-19”, declared the head of state in a video posted to his Twitter account.

More than 50,000 dead from Covid-19 in Colombia

The minister had been hospitalized since January 11 and was transferred urgently to an intensive care unit at the central military hospital in Bogota due to his deteriorating state of health. Born in Cali (southwest), Carlos Holmes Trujillo had been minister under six presidents several times since 1990.

He was notably Minister of Education (1992-1994), of the Interior (1997-1998), then Minister of Foreign Affairs (2018-2019). He was then appointed to the Defense. He also had a long diplomatic career. Colombia, with a population of 50 million, has recorded more than 2 million reported cases of Covid-19, including more than 51,000 fatal cases.