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AMCostaRica© 
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 Published Monday, August 24, 2020 $107-plus million spent on covid-19
pandemic, says Social Security By the A.M. Costa Rica staff According to Social Security, $107,490,201 has been spent from the contingency fund to manage the covid-19 pandemic in the Costa Rica. There is still $34,951,110 available. Also, an extraordinary budget for $67,181,376 is in the process to be included in the special fund to support the country and its people during the pandemic. According to Karen Nájera-Rodríguez, from the Social Security budget department, with these additional funds the health emergency due to the pandemic can be addressed. The emergency Social Security fund was created in 2016 with resources from previous years profits and current income. The national emergencies that have been addressed with that fund were Hurricane Otto in 2016, Hurricane Neith in 2017 and events that affected the continuity of public medical services, such as Social Security worker's strikes. Among the largest expenses financed this year are the remodeling of the Specialized Patient Care Center with Covid-19, the so-called Covid Hospital, the purchase of equipment (such as lung ventilators, aspirators, video laryngoscopes, sign monitors), medical supplies for health workers, purchase of medical tests for the diagnosis of covid-19, among others. Medical care for patients infected by the virus became free as an immediate response for the declaration of a state of national emergency made by the authorities due to the covid-19 pandemic. Social Security announced that it could continue to increase the additional budget to cover the expenses involved in caring for patients infected with the virus, which according to the Ministry of Health continues to increase rapidly throughout the country.  As of Sunday afternoon, the Ministry provided the following statistics on the status of the virus in the country: • 736 new covid-19 cases, bringing the total to 33,820 active cases. The ages of patients infected range from a three-month-old baby to a 99-year-old person. • 8,291 foreign-born people have been infected of the 33,820 cases since March, approximately 24% of the total cases. • 405 patients are being treated in public hospitals, where 131 patients are in Intensive Care Units with delicate health conditions, 274 patients are in recovery rooms. Most of the infected patients are quarantined in their homes. • 10,518 coronavirus patients have fully recovered, which is a 31% recovery rate. Regarding the low percentage of recovery of cases, the ministry confirmed an approximate 40% delay in the statistics of recovered patients from the northern and southern zones of the country. • 85,174 people have been ruled out. • 133,005 medical covid-19 tests have been made. • 355 deaths of patients infected with covid-19 since March, approximately 1% death rate. Of these 133 were women and 222 men. The ages range from 21 to a 96-year-old person. Since July 30, the ministry announced they will not provide updated information on foreign-born people who die from covid-19 in the country. Up to then it was reported 30 foreign-born people had died from covid-19 since March. Readers can see the updated number of total patients in each district at the National Distance Education University on its Covid-19 Map.  As of Sunday night, the pandemic has killed 807,383 patients worldwide, according to recent statistics reported by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. ---------------------------- How much is your country augmenting funds to better manage the pandemic? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
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