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Published Thursday, March 19, 2020

Authorities enable more covid-19 tests before
confirm first death of infected patient

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Additionally to the Ministry of Health, three public hospitals are applying the lab tests for the detection of coronavirus covid-19, confirmed authorities on Wednesday.

Experts from Hospital México, Hospital San Juan de Dios and National Children’s Hospital are implementing lab tests on people suspected of being infected with coronavirus.

Social Security also announced that their labs, located throughout the country, are giving lab results within 12 hours.

At 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, authorities confirmed the first death of a patient infected with coronavirus covid-19 in the country. The patient was a Costa Rican, 87, who was hospitalized in intensive care at San Rafael Hospital in Alajuela Province. Authorities didn’t provide more information about his case.

Authorities said that two U.S. citizens could be finishing their coronavirus covid-19 quarantine.

According to Rodrigo Madrigal, from the ministry, the spouses already completed their 14-day quarantine, and they no longer have symptoms of the virus. "Both foreigners could be the first two patients recovered from the virus in the country," Madrigal said.

However, specialists are proceeding with two additional lab tests to confirm with 100% certainty that both patients are no longer infected, nor will they be of risk to others.

The two U.S. citizens were confirmed with coronavirus covid-19 on March 6. At the time the Health Ministry shared information about their cases.

The woman, 49, was classified as an imported virus. She entered the country on March 1 from New York at Juan Santamaría International Airport. She had no symptoms when she entered the country. After several days in Costa Rica that changed. She informed authorities that in New York she had contact with a patient who had coronavirus. Lab tests confirmed that she was the first case of coronavirus in Costa Rica. She was receiving medical treatment in quarantine at her hotel in the San José Province.

Her husband, 49, traveled with her and did not show any symptoms when entering the country. He also reported having had contact with a coronavirus patient in New York before traveling to Costa Rica. Medical exams confirmed he was infected with the virus. However, authorities said that he did not have symptoms of the disease. He too was in quarantine in a hotel with his wife.

Authorities didn’t provide information about which hotel they were quarantined, nor their flight information.

As of today, there are 69 infected people in the country. The Ministry of Health confirmed, in a midday Wednesday press conference, 19 new cases of people infected with covid-19.

Seven of the infected patients are still hospitalized, of these three are in intensive care. The name of the hospital where these patients are being treated was not provided by authorities.

According to the statistics provided on Wednesday, of the 69 patients, 30 are women (43%) and 39 are men (57%).

Concerning nationality, 63 are Costa Rican and six are foreigners. Authorities did not provide further information on the condition of the patients.

The ages of patients infected with covid-19 range from as young as 8 to as old as 87. Among these are a 10-year-old girl, a 13-year-old boy, and three more children under the age of 13. There is also a U.S. woman, 73, and five 70- year-old Costa Ricans. The rest of the 57 infected are adults.

The virus has spread across the country. Authorities reported that cases have been confirmed in 25 cantons in five provinces.

Experts have detected five patients as so-called superspreaders, according to information provided by the ministry. The term superspreader refers to an individual who is more likely to infect others, compared to a typical infected person.

One of these patients is residing in Alajuela Province. He allegedly infected 25 people.

Another so-called superspreader is a resident in Escazú, in San Jose Province. He is associated with nine infected people.

The third of these patients is a resident in Pérez Zeledón located in the southern zone of the country. He allegedly infected three people.

The fourth superspreader is residing in the canton of Desamparados in San José Province. He allegedly infected six people.

However, specialists are investigating six infected patients without a clear cause of infection.

Authorities decided not to publish a summary of the new cases.

"After the 20 people confirmed with coronavirus are surpassed, the instruction of the Surveillance Department is to provide only the information in ranges," said the ministry's press department.

Even though the ministry decided not to publish the total number of suspects, authorities confirmed that 855 people classified as suspects were ruled out.

Specialists are in the process of confirming or ruling out more coronavirus suspected cases using lab tests. It is expected that updated information about new cases will be released at noon.

There are 215,177 cases reported of coronavirus covid-19 globally, where 8,885 patients died. There are 84,314 patients in total recovery, according to the most current information from the World Health Organization, which classified covid-19 as a pandemic.



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