Costa Rica coronavirus updates for Thursday, July 23

Costa Rica confirmed 768 new cases of the coronavirus over the past day, totaling 13,129 cumulative known cases, the Health Ministry announced Thursday afternoon.

Two-hundred and ninety people are hospitalized with COVID-19, a new high, with 43 in intensive care.

One-hundred and twenty-six 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 9,600 known active cases and 3,448 recoveries.

The Health Ministry has announced 81 coronavirus-related deaths, including 10 since Wednesday afternoon. The data indicate Costa Rica has 1.58 COVID-19-related deaths per 100,000 people.

Costa Rica coronavirus deaths and hospitalizations on July 23, 2020 Tico Times graph.

Most hospitalized patients have at least one risk factor, with hypertension, diabetes, obesity and smoking being the most common.

Eighty-five coronavirus patients are at the coronavirus hospital (CEACO), which has been expanded thanks to a partnership with the adjacent National Trauma Hospital.

As of Wednesday, the intensive-care units at Calderón Guardia and San Juan de Dios Hospitals had the most coronavirus patients (23 and 15 patients, respectively).

Active coronavirus cases in Costa Rica

The recent spike in cases corresponds with both an increase in testing and with a higher test-positivity rate, as shown in the below graph:

Costa Rica coronavirus test-positivity through Sunday, July 19. Tico Times graph.

The Greater Metropolitan Area is the country’s current epicenter. Much of Costa Rica is under an Orange Alert; click here for details regarding current business and driving restrictions.

Costa Rica has processed 72,379 tests as of Wednesday (14.2 tests per 1,000 people).

During its Thursday press conference, the Health Ministry did not provide full detailed information on the locations of the new positive cases or the amount of tests processed. The below graphic will update automatically when the Health Ministry releases that information later this afternoon.

If you believe you have COVID-19, contact Costa Rica’s hotline at 1322. English-speaking staff and mental health professionals are available.