Costa Rica confirmed 375 new cases of the coronavirus over the past day, totaling 4,996 cumulative known cases, the Health Ministry announced Sunday afternoon.
The 375 new cases are the largest day-over-day increase announced by Costa Rica during the pandemic, topping Saturday’s 310. Seventy-seven people are hospitalized with COVID-19, also a new high.
Twenty-four more people have been classified as recovered under Costa Rica’s definitions that qualify certain patients based on time rather than a negative test.
Costa Rica has 3,232 active cases and 1,745 recoveries.
Nineteen people have died in Costa Rica after contracting the coronavirus, including one death Saturday. The data mean Costa Rica has 0.37 coronavirus deaths per 100,000 people.
Ten people are currently in intensive care.
The Health Ministry has indicated its models show the country’s intensive-care capacity could reach saturation points if new cases remain elevated over several weeks.
Nearly all hospitalized patients have at least one risk factor, with hypertension, diabetes, obesity and smoking being the most common.
Active coronavirus cases in Costa Rica
During its Sunday press conference, the Health Ministry did not provide detailed information on the locations of the new positive cases or the amount of tests processed.
The recent spike in cases corresponds with both an increase in testing and with a higher test-positivity rate, according to officials. From June 24 through July 3, Costa Rica averaged 878 tests and 194 new known cases daily.
The Health Ministry considers the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) as the country’s current epicenter and believes there is community transmission in that region. Much of the GAM is under an orange alert.
The below graphic will update automatically when the Health Ministry releases its full report later this afternoon.
