(QCOSTARICA) This Thursday, August 6, five months since the first case of the novel coronavirus was reported in Costa Rica, the country reports 200 deaths.
A month ago, on July 6, the total number of fatalities due to COVID-19 was 23; up from 10 a month earlier, on June 6.
In the daily noon epidemiological report, Health Minister, Daniel Salas, reported 9 deaths in the previous 24 hours; They are six men and three women, between 58 and 84 years old,, residents of the provinces of San José, Heredia, and Alajuela.
Of the accumulated death toll, 74 are women and 126 are men, with ages ranging from 23 to 99 years.
This Thursday, of concern to health authorities and should be to everyone in the country is the number of COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization.
On Thursday, Minister Salas reported that 391 people are in hospital, of which 103 are in intensive care. A record number so far.
The Health minister reported for Thursday, 653 new cases, bringing the total of infected to 21,070, of which 7,038 have recovered and 13.832 still active.
For his part, President Carlos Alvarado stated during the press conference that the number of 200 deaths “is a number that shakes us. We share the pain of the 200 families who have suffered these losses”.
The president also referred to the unemployment figure released this Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC).
“We reached 24% unemployment, that shakes us, it hurts us, it fills us with concern. This pandemic is deeply affecting Costa Rican households.
“What corresponds to us is to redouble our efforts to face this circumstance, both to protect the health and life of people and to try to conserve and regain the jobs that, since COVID-19, have been lost.
“I am in solidarity with both the families of the deceased and the families who have lost their jobs in this context,” said the president.
In this regard, Geaninna Dinarte, Minister of Labor, announced that as part of an agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has money to deliver 119,000 new ‘bonos proteger’ (financial aid) to people who have lost their jobs due to the crisis.