Puntarenas hospital gets new lab for covid-19 diagnosis in rural areas

The goal of performing analysis of diagnostic samples in rural laboratories is to increase the amount of covid-19 test processing, as well as
the detection of other viruses. - A.M. Costa Rica wire services illustrative photo -

Published Thursday, September 3, 2020

Puntarenas hospital gets new lab for
covid-19 diagnosis in rural areas

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The Monseñor Sanabria Hospital in Puntarenas Province enables the first rural laboratory to carry out molecular diagnosis, including the detection of covid-19.

On its first day of operations, the laboratory had analyzed 362 diagnostic tests of which 91 were positive for the virus. On average, the lab analyzes 120 daily covid-19 tests of people residing in cantons such as Quepos, Parrita, Jacó, Orotina, San Mateo, Esparza, Barranca Peninsula, Paquera, Cóbano, Chira, Venado and Caballo Islands, Monteverde, Central Puntarenas, Montes de Oro, Chomes and Monteverde.

According to Social Security, the goal of performing analysis of diagnostic samples in rural laboratories is to increase the amount of covid-19 test processing, as well as the detection of other viruses.

Roman Macaya-Hanes, president of Social Security, said that an investment of resources has been made to adapt the laboratories such as purchasing tests, remodeling infrastructure, and assigning specialists. This is in addition to the donations of covid-19 diagnostic tests and equipment.

According to Social Security, $2.4 million have been invested from the Contingency Fund for the purchase of 120 thousand PCR tests and the equipment for the processing of tests.

To support the detection of covid-19 in rural zones, the U.S. and Costa Rica Chamber (AmCham) donated 50,000 open PCR tests valued at $1.1 million. "Those tests have already passed the review and quality control process, and are already being used," Macaya said.

AmCham donation included equipment to process the covid-19 test and its maintenance.

Also, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) donated complementary medical equipment for the processing of the diagnostics test used to install the laboratory in Puntarenas and other hospitals in rural areas.

The Vienna, Austria-based IAEA is an international organization that promotes the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons.

An extra donation from the IAEA also in equipment is in process, Social Security said in its statement.

Two pieces of equipment will be installed in each laboratory in rural hospitals, one that performs the extraction of genetic material and the other performs DNA amplification and reads the results. This equipment can process 200 samples per day, which will significantly increase the number of covid-19 diagnostic tests in rural zones.

New laboratories will be installed in the following public hospitals: Max Peralta in Cartago Province, Tony Facio in Limón Province, Enrique Baltodano Briceño in Guanacaste Province and one in a Social Security medical center in the southern zone of the county.

The provision of more laboratories for the diagnosis of covid-19 is a priority due to the constant increase in people infected and deceased due to the virus.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Ministry of Health provided the following statistics on the status of the virus in the country:

• 1,121 new covid-19 cases, bringing the total to 26,340 active cases. The ages of patients infected range from a three-month-old baby to a 99-year-old person.

• 9,785 foreign-born people have been infected of the total 43,305 cases since March, approximately 22% of the total cases.

• 456 patients are being treated in public hospitals, where 154 patients are in Intensive Care Units in delicate health conditions (ages range from 11 to an 83-year-old person), 302 patients are in recovery rooms. Most of the infected patients are quarantined in their homes.

• 16,512 coronavirus patients have fully recovered, which is a 38.2% recovery rate.

• 96,176 people have been ruled out.

• 153,884 medical covid-19 tests have been made.

• 453 deaths of people infected with covid-19 since March, approximately 1% death rate. Of these 174 were women and 279 men. The ages range from 19 to a 100-year-old person.

As of Aug. 31, authorities confirmed the death of 31 foreign-born patients. The youngest and most recent victim was a 19-year-old immigrant who lived in Guanacaste Province. On July 30, the ministry announced they would not provide updated information on immigrants who died from covid-19 in the country, which at the time authorities reported 30 foreign-born people had died from that virus 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 Wednesday night, the pandemic has killed 860,883 patients worldwide, according to recent statistics reported by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

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Which other rural hospital could benefit from a modern laboratory for the speedy detection of covid-19? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com