The National Emergency Commission (CNE) announced last week that it will again work with private hospitals to fortify Costa Rica’s fight against Covid-19.
The Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) will transfer non-Covid patients to private hospitals to improve their own capacity for patients with the virus.
The news comes as Costa Rica reaches hospital occupancy not seen since June 2021, the nation’s worst spike during the pandemic. As of Friday, the latest available data, 1,311 people in Costa Rica are hospitalized with Covid-19. Of those, 499 require an intensive-care bed.
The first week of September also represented the period with the second-most cases since the virus was first detected in Costa Rica.
Rather than introducing new restrictions on mobility or gatherings, Costa Rica has instead eased measures and expanded vaccine eligibility.
Financing for the physical and human resources at private hospitals comes through the National Emergency Fund, though the original $3.9 million budget allocated in May 2021 will need adjustments, the Presidency said.
The original plan sent patients who had tested negative for Covid-19 and whose expected hospital stay was less than five days to Clínica Bíblica, Hospital Cima, Hospital Metropolitano or La Católica.
That option was largely unused as the country’s hospitalization numbers dropped in June and July.
