RICO’s DIGEST (OPINION) Here’s some food for thought. Looking over the covid news for Argentina this week, the worst of the worst covid wise in this part of the world. Yes, even worse than Brazil*.
Argentina this past week had a 7 day average of 30,000 new cases and 492 deaths. in a population of 45 million, 9x of Costa Rica’s 5.1 million.
Costa Rica’s 7 day average this past week was 2,400 new cases and 32 deaths.
If you multiply those numbers by 9, our average of daily cases would be 21,600 new cases and 288 deaths.
Another example.
Canada, with a population of 37.5 million reported 5,058 new cases and 45 deaths on May 20.
Costa Rica, with a population of 5.1 million reported 2,812 new cases and 40 deaths on May 20.
If you multiply those numbers by 7, it would be 19,684 new cases and 280deaths on May 20.
Continuing the comparison, Canada has 1,347,455 accumulated cases and 25,111 deaths. Costa Rica has 296,632 accumulated cases and 3,736 deaths.
Multiply by 7 and the number would be 2,076,424 cases and 26,152 deaths.
And if you compare the active cases in the two countries, on May 20, Canada 59,968 active cases; Costa Rica has 66,229 active cases.
Yes, it is comparing apples to oranges. Or is it?
Let’s not be fooled by the low numbers here in our Finca Paraiso. We have a lot less people here, so the numbers are low, but… let’s keep wearing our mask (even if you’ve been vaccinated), let’s stay home, let’s forget the parties for now, let’s keep washing our hands and let’s keep our distance at much as possible.
Our President and his minister of Health, like them or not, are working hard at getting us the vaccines, the Caja trying to keep the medical system pieced together under a heavy burden never seen or experienced before.
It’s not my place to preach or judge. When it is your turn, get vaccinated. If you had doubts, educate yourself, don’t fall prey to the false and misleading information that is all around us.
Make your own decision, as I have made mine. That it be for the right reason that works for you.
We need to come together, have a common goal to get to the other side of the curve and return to normal, not the normal before the pandemic, but a new normal, whatever that will be.
Only my opinion.
Enrico Cacciatore
Chief cook and bottle-washer at QCostarica.com
*Argentina, with a population of 45 million has 3,447,044 accumulated cases and 72,699 deaths. Brazil, with a population fo 213 million has 15,898,558 accumulated cases and 444,391 deaths. Multiply Argentina’s by 5x and you get 17.2 million cases and 364 thousand deaths.
