(QCOSTARICA) The Ministry of Health reported this Tuesday, July 14, 446 new cases in the last 24 hours, reaching an accumulated 8,482 positive cases of COVID-19.
With the addition of the canton of Rio Cuatro, Alajuela, the coronavirus is now in 81 of the country’s 82 cantons. Only Dota, in the province of San José, continues without confirming infections.
The Ministry of Health also reported two new deaths, which occurred on Monday night, making it the day with most COVID-19 related deaths. Six of the 36 deaths were reported on Monday.
The deceased number 35 is a 90-year-old Costa Rican who had been in the intensive care unit of the Hospital Mexico since July 12; number 36 a 94-year-old foreigner, in the ICU at the Hospital Calderon Guarida since July 11.
Both women had risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and ischemic heart disease, in addition to their ages.
Epidemiological report
The number of hospitalized keeps increasing, on Tuesday the Ministry of Health reported 10 more people in hospital from the day before, reaching 171 people; 27 of which are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Guiselle Guzmán, head of the Collective Health Area of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) recalled, based on a 2018 survey, that half of Costa Rica’s population over the age of 19 suffers from at least one cardiovascular risk factor.
In other words, 1.6 million people over the age of 19 suffer from hypertension, obesity, diabetes or smoking.
In addition, she stated that 70% of the national population is overweight or obese.
“We have seen the data of people who have died in the last hours. It has been vehemently emphasized that being an older adult, male sex, high blood pressure, having high blood sugar, heart and lung diseases, as well as obesity and smoking status are very important risk factors for people can have a serious complication and can have a fatal outcome, ”said Guzmán.
She also stated that there is always a risk that people do not know they have one of these conditions.