Costa Rica confirmed 540 new cases of the coronavirus over the past day, totaling 13,669 cumulative known cases, the Health Ministry announced Friday afternoon.
Two-hundred and ninety-eight people are hospitalized with COVID-19, a new high, with 49 in intensive care.
Fifty-seven 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 10,077 known active cases and 3,505 recoveries.
The Health Ministry has announced 87 coronavirus-related deaths, including seven since Thursday afternoon. (After initially reporting 81 total deaths as of Thursday afternoon, the Health Ministry later adjusted yesterday’s figure to 80.)
The data indicate Costa Rica has 1.7 COVID-19-related deaths per 100,000 people.
Most hospitalized patients have at least one risk factor, with hypertension, diabetes, obesity and smoking being the most common.
As of Thursday, the most hospitalized coronavirus patients are at San Juan de Dios Hospital (76), the CEACO coronavirus-specific hospital (70) and Hospital México (66). Twenty people with COVID-19 are at the Trauma Hospital, which was recently retrofitted with 48 beds for these patients.
Active coronavirus cases in Costa Rica
Starting Friday, the Health Ministry says that family members living with someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus will be automatically registered as a confirmed case if they begin to present symptoms of COVID-19.
“I insist that there must be symptoms,” said Health Minister Daniel Salas. “It is not automatic for everyone in the nucleus […] but the moment one of those people has symptoms it is considered a case.”
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:
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 74,375 tests as of Thursday.
During its Friday 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.
