Costa Rica announced 15 new coronavirus-related deaths over the last day for a total of 1,419, according to official data released Tuesday afternoon by the Health Ministry.
Four-hundred and sixty-two people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19; 185 are in intensive care. Both represent decreases compared to Monday.
The Health Ministry confirmed 863 new cases on Tuesday for a cumulative total of 112,120.
“I would like to say that the pandemic will end in December 2020, and that we’ll begin 2021 with a blank slate. That’s not the case,” said Health Minister Daniel Salas. “The virus does not respect the calendar.”
A total of 68,604 people have been cleared as recovered; however, this figure typically lags several weeks behind actual figures.
The data indicate Costa Rica has 27.8 COVID-19-related deaths per 100,000 people. The country is averaging 15.4 deaths each day since September 1 (983 total).
Costa Rica’s outbreak in context
Costa Rica has the 36th-most new cases per 100,000 residents over the past seven days, according to data compiled by The New York Times. At 19.4 new cases per 100,000 people, this trails the United States (25.8) but is significantly higher than Canada (7.7).
About 1.2% of people who tested positive for the coronavirus in Costa Rica have died.
The average age of Costa Rica’s coronavirus-related deaths is 70 years.
An analysis more than 200 COVID-19-related deaths in Costa Rica, released in early October, confirmed 90% of them were caused by the virus or an associated complication, while 9% had died of unrelated causes. This case-by-case analysis is ongoing.
Costa Rica has 359 intensive-care beds and 986 beds for less-complex coronavirus hospitalizations. This means 52% of Costa Rica’s ICU beds are currently occupied.
The below graph shows Costa Rica’s approximate test-positivity rate (the fraction of tests that come back positive) as of Monday, November 2. The Tico Times calculates daily positivity using Health Ministry data as follows:
(People testing positive) ÷ (People testing positive + people testing negative)
Note that the actual number of daily tests is higher than indicated on the chart, because one person can be tested multiple times.
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.
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.
