(QCOSTARICA) Almost 5,000 people in Costa Rica have occupied hospital beds due to COVID-19, reveals the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS).
According to data from the Medical Management of the CCSS, as of September 18, a total of 4,854 people been discharged from one of the public medical centers since March, when the first patients were recorded.
The vast majority, 84%, occupied a ward hospital bed, while 16% (782) were cared for in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), which involves the use of advanced medical technology, and the presence of highly specialized medical personnel, such as doctors and nurses who specialize in the management of critical patients.
‘This virus is a very strong enemy; but we, together, can beat it ‘, urges CCSS medical manager Dr. Mario Ruiz Cubillo, who on Monday warned that if the exponential growth of cases continues, the restrictive measures will return.
In its report of Monday, September 21, the CCSS has 634 people in hospital, of which 254 are in ICU.
According to the CCSS, it costs ¢1.5 million colones a day for each ICU patient, three times that of a patient in a regular hospital bed, a figure that can increase depending on the level of complication.
Of the total discharges due to COVID-19, 16% were foreigners (800 people), of which 145 required ICU care.
According to the records of the Medical Management, on September 18, the CCSS hospitals treated 833 hospitalized patients. That amount also includes those who require hospitalization while awaiting confirmation of a COVID-19 diagnosis; therefore, the amount is greater than that officially reported by the Ministry of Health.
Of the 833 people, 36.4% (304 people) remained in an ICU.
Dr. Ruiz said that the maximum capacity of ICU care that hospitals can reach is 359 beds, and almost 1,000 for moderate cases.
This Monday, September 21, there were 634 hospitalized, 254 of whom remained in an intensive care bed.
The number of people who have died in the country from causes related to COVID-19 was 745 as of Monday. Of these, according to a CCSS analysis, the majority died in a ward or ICU bed; 63 died in an emergency room, 12 at home, and two in a private medical center.
By gender, 422 of the deceased were men and 283 women. The vast majority (85%) were of Costa Rican nationality, 13% Nicaraguan, and the rest of other nationalities.
By age, the largest proportion, 60% of all deaths, is of seniors, with almost 60% being men.
According to the CCSS analysis, the average hospital stay is 5.5 days, while the average stay among ICU patients is 9.3 days.
