QCOSTARICA – About 60 officials from the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), worked in coordination with the Fuerza Publica (National Police) and Policia de Transito (Traffic Police) to transfer 11 covid-19 patients in delicate condition from the Escalante Pradilla Hospital, in Pérez Zeledón, to medical centers in the greater metropolitan area (GAM).
The Specialized Center for the Care of Patients with Covid-19 (Ceaco) received three patients, the San Juan de Dios, two; the Calderón Guardia, two; the Hospital México, one; the Max Peralta in Cartago, one; and the National Psychiatric Hospital, two.
All patients reached are reported stable after the transfer Wednesday afternoon.
Mario Ruiz Cubillo, medical manager of the Ministry of Health, pointed out that there had been an increase in people interned at Escalante Pradilla.
“We had an overload of more than 200% in beds of the covid-19 unit (in the Perez Zeledon hospital). There was an exponential increase in hospitalizations. And there are also several infected specialists who had to be sent home,” Ruiz said at a press conference.
Carlos Argüello, interim director of the Perez Zeledon hospital, explained that the medical center has the capacity for 15 patients with covid-19, however, there were 41, so it was necessary to request support from other centers in the CCSS network.
According to data shared Tuesday night on the Ministry of Health, 77% of those who were admitted to this hospital with covid-19 were in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health reported 1,168 new cases of covid-19 across the country, for a total of 141,340, of which 121,427 are Costa Ricans and 19,913 foreigners.
The number of people in hospital, across the country, on Wednesday was 572, of which 206 are in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The sharp rise in hospitalization is nearing a collapse of the CCSS’s capacity. And to alleviate that pressure, the CCSS has turned to private hospitals where 20 patients are currently getting medical care.
On Wednesday, 8 deaths were reported, for a total now of 1,739, of which 1,084 are men and 655 women, ranging in age from 9 to 101 years.
