Costa Rica announced 57 new coronavirus-related deaths since Friday a total of 987, according to official data released Monday afternoon by the Health Ministry.
Five-hundred and seventy people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19; 212 are in intensive care.
The Health Ministry confirmed 1,353 new cases on Saturday, 1,225 on Sunday and 722 on Monday for a total of 81,129.
A total of 49,703 people have been cleared as recovered; authorities say this figure represents the number of recovered cases as of September 1.
The data indicate Costa Rica has 19.4 COVID-19-related deaths per 100,000 people. The country is averaging 15.7 deaths each day since September 1 (551 total), including double-digit deaths for 23 straight days.
Costa Rica has 359 intensive-care beds and 986 beds for less-complex coronavirus hospitalizations. This means 59% of Costa Rica’s ICU beds are currently occupied.
Costa Rica’s outbreak in a global context
Costa Rica has the 13th-most new cases per 100,000 residents over the past seven days, according to data compiled by The New York Times.
About 1.2% of people who tested positive for the coronavirus in Costa Rica have died. The 987 deaths comprise 324 adults and 663 elderly adults.
The below graph shows Costa Rica’s test-positivity rate (the fraction of tests that come back positive) as of Saturday, September 26. The Tico Times calculates daily positivity using Health Ministry data as follows:
(People testing positive) ÷ (People testing positive + people testing negative)
The World Health Organization recommends testing enough to keep the positivity rate under 5%; Costa Rica’s high test-positivity rate suggests it’s missing milder or asymptomatic cases, allowing the coronavirus to continue to spread.
We’ll update this weekly.
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.
