QCOSTARICA – The contagion rate of covid-19 in Costa Rica in the last week did not change, a fact that is seen for the first time in the weekly analysis of the Universidad Hispanoamericana (UH).
However, the fact that it remains static, in this case, is good news, since it is at low levels: 0.93.
When this indicator is below 1, it means that the virus reaches fewer people.
The contagion rate, R rate or basic reproduction number, is an indicator that reflects how many healthy people, on average, a carrier of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes covid-19, would infect.
A rate of 0.93 indicates that a group of 100 people with the virus would transmit it to 93.
In a community transmission scenario like the one we live in today, where there are several groups of 100 people with the possibility of infecting it, the fact that each of them transmits it to seven fewer people does have a positive impact.
“In the last three weeks, the behavior of the pandemic maintains a moderate decline that is releasing the pressure on the hospital system, while vaccination progresses,” the report cites.
Since R is a value that depends on human dynamics, it is not the same throughout the country. Each province has its own transmission and that is why there are changes between one and the other.
For the second consecutive week, Cartago province has the lowest rate: it remains at 0.86. Heredia province follows, with 0.88 and San José province with 0.92.
The provinces of Alajuela and Puntarenas show 0.95 each, and Guanacaste 0.97.
Limón is the only province with an indicator greater than 1: 1.04.
This also worries researchers
“Last week the black spot was the province of Puntarenas and now it is Limón. It will be necessary to be particularly careful with the evolution of the pandemic in these two provinces and in particular, in some of their cantons, if it is to really aspire to continue pushing back the coronavirus,” explained Ronald Evans Meza, epidemiologist and coordinator of the report.
The epidemiological report
Good news is also seen in covid-19 hospitalizations, as the number of people requiring a hospital bed has lowered this past week, from a high of over 1,400 a week ago, to 1,297 on Wednesday. People needing an ICU has also dropped, on Wednesday it was down to 507.
On Wednesday the Ministry of Health reported 2,187 new cases of covid-19, an increase over the last several days, including a low of 928 on Monday, June 7.
The country has now accumulated 336,007 confirmed cases of covid-19.
The number of daily deaths associated with covid-19 continues in the double digits, on Wednesday 27 deaths were recorded, for an accumulated total of 4,278.
Vaccination
The countdown to Costa Rica reaching 70% of the vaccinated population against covid-19 is now 129 days away.
As of Monday, June 7, the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) reports having applied 1,906,177 doses of which 1,219,551 people (24%) have recevied their first dose and 686,626 (13%) both doses.
