Costa Rica announced nine new coronavirus-related deaths over the past day for a total of 171, according to official data released Monday afternoon by the Health Ministry.
Three-hundred and ninety-three people are hospitalized with COVID-19, a new high, with 97 in intensive care. The age range of those in ICUs is from 14 to 91 years old.
The Health Ministry has confirmed 19,402 cumulative known coronavirus cases. This represents 427 new cases compared to Sunday.
Monday, 104 more people were classified by health authorities as recovered.
Costa Rica has 14,542 known active cases and 4,689 recoveries.
The data indicate Costa Rica has 3.35 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.
Breaking down Costa Rica’s ICU capacity
The majority of Costa Rica’s ICU patients are at the Hospitals México, San Juan de Dios and Calderón Guardia.
- At Hospital México: 35 COVID-19 patients are in intensive care, saturating capacity.
- At San Juan de Dios: 25 COVID-19 patients are in intensive care, with room for nine more.
- At Calderón Guardia: 37 COVID-19 patients are in intensive care, with room for 52 more.
The larger amount of available beds at Calderón Guardia Hospital comes thanks to the recent opening of a new tower.
Testing capacity to increase
The CCSS is increasing the country’s testing capacity, Román Macaya, the institution’s president, said Monday.
Currently, Costa Rica processes about 2,000 tests each day at Inciensa, but that figure will increase over the coming weeks as the Caja expands its PCR-RT processing at labs in Liberia, Puntarenas, Limón and Perez Zeledon.
Active coronavirus cases in Costa Rica
Starting July 25, Costa Rica considers some patients as confirmed cases without requiring a positive test. This only applies if a person living with someone who has tested positive begins exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19.
The Health Ministry’s definitions also qualify certain patients as recovered based on time rather than a negative test.
The Greater Metropolitan Area is the country’s current epicenter. Costa Rica has relaxed restrictions through August 9; click here for details regarding business and driving restrictions.
Costa Rica has processed 92,680 tests as of Sunday.
The below graphic will update automatically when the Health Ministry releases detailed information on the number of tests processed and the location of new cases 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.
