Costa Rica coronavirus updates for Thursday, September 3

Costa Rica announced seven new coronavirus-related deaths for a total of 460, according to official data released Thursday afternoon by the Health Ministry.

Four-hundred and sixty-three people are hospitalized with COVID-19; 161 are in intensive care. Both are new highs.

The Health Ministry confirmed 1,153 new cases on Thursday for a cumulative total of 44,458.

Of these new cases, 913 were identified via a PCR lab test, while the remaining 240 were confirmed via their epidemiological nexus.

Thursday, 1,343 more people were classified as recovered.

Costa Rica has 26,143 known active cases and 17,855 recoveries. The data indicate Costa Rica has 9.0 COVID-19-related deaths per 100,000 people.

Despite the increase in cases, Costa Rica is continuing its “controlled reopening.” Most economic activity is allowed, and tourists from certain countries — including several U.S. states — can enter.

The Health Ministry told Teletica it’s analyzing COVID-19-related deaths to confirm how many were caused by the disease or related complications. A small subset of reported deaths correspond to post-mortem tests, even if the coronavirus ultimately did not contribute to the person’s death, the Health Ministry said.

The deaths comprise 161 adults and 299 elderly adults; no children have died of COVID-19.

Costa Rica coronavirus cases on September 3, 2020. Tico Times graph.

Below is Costa Rica’s test-positivity rate (the fraction of tests that come back positive) as of Saturday, August 29. We calculate this by dividing Costa Rica’s daily lab-confirmed positive cases by the total number of tests performed that day.

Costa Rica coronavirus test positivity rate on August 29 2020. Tico Times graph.

Costa Rica’s hospital capacity

Costa Rica can allocate up to 1,058 total intermediate-care beds and 287 intensive-care beds for COVID-19 patients at public hospitals across the country. Using this capacity impacts availability of other health services.

The 161 intensive-care patients reported Wednesday would correspond to 56% of the public-hospital capacity. (Note that some of these patients may be at private hospitals.)

The below graphic will update automatically as the Health Ministry releases new coronavirus data.

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