QCOSTARICA – Though the number of daily infections and deaths, hospitalizations, including ICU has been decreasing, they are still too high to consider ourselves out of the covid woods just yet.
Every day in Costa Rica, on average, 17 people die from causes related to covid-19. That number is down to the over twenty a day last week and the week before that, and, almost half of the daily deaths three weeks ago.
The numbers have decreased, but the number of new victims of covid-19 has not ceased.
This Tuesday, for example, the lowest number of deaths in a single day in the current pandemic wave was reported: 13 deaths.
In total, since the covid-19 emergency began in March 2020, 4,661 people have died associated with covid-19 in Costa Rica.
On Monday, June 28, the lowest number of new infections in this wave was reported, 792; also the first time a week with two days below 1,000. In the past week (June 23 to June 29), 10,541 new cases were reported (a daily average of 1,505).
As of Tuesday, June 29, there are 1,001 people in hospital, of which 425 are in the ICU, report the Minister of Health, Dr. Daniel Salas, during the noon press conference.
Delta variant
The fear of Health authorities is that the situation could be complicated with the imminent arrival of the Delta variant into the country, whose circulation has not been officially registered.
As Minister Salas, warned, Delta is a mutation of the most transmissible SARS-CoV-2 and with a greater capacity and speed to complicate the health of those infected and send them to the hospital.
“As it is a variant with such ease of transmission, it would not take long from when it began to circulate until it was detected. It is likely that it has started to circulate, that would be more worrying, so we cannot lower our guard,” he added.
Salas explained that unprotected exposure to the Delta can mean almost instant infection, that is a person in contact with another infected with the Delta variant could be infected in seconds within contact.
To avoid contagion of the covid, this variant or any other, sounding like a broken record, the measures are the same: wear a mask, maintain social distancing and handwashing and avoiding crowds, especially in closed places with little ventilation.
Orange alert continued
Despite the positive indication and outlook in the numbers, the country remains under an “orange alert”.
This means that vehicular restrictions and other measures, such as the closing of commercial establishments at 9:00 pm, beaches at 6:00 pm, among others will be maintained at least for the rest of this week and the next.
It could be argued that there is no need to maintain the higher alert, a “yelllow” or precautionary alert, that would mean a relaxation of the sanitary measures, could apply, the concern is that we are in the midst of the ‘mid-year’ vacation (vacaciones de medio año), a typical time of year when many families hit the beaches and resorts, escaping the confines of the concrete jungle.
And this year, as last year, the confines of the covid measures which tend to be more relaxed in smaller communities and outlying areas.
The fear of authorities, in particular medical services, is a repeat of Semana Santa 2021, which is blamed for the latest wave. And with the Delta in the air, it could get even worse.
