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Published Thursday, December 17, 2020
Three hospitals reach max
occupancy for covid-19 patients
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
During this month, three public hospitals have reached the maximum capacity for patients infected with covid-19.
The most recent announcement was made by the authorities of the San Juan de Dios Hospital, in San José Province, which has occupied 97 of the 102 beds to attend covid patients. Of the 5 free beds, two are in the intensive care unit, two are in the severe care unit and one is in the moderate care unit.
In addition, the hospital has seven beds for the care of particular patients, such as pregnant women suffering from covid-19.
According to Ileana Balmaceda-Arias, director of the hospital, if more infected people require hospitalization, they will be transferred to other public hospitals with available beds.
Another hospital that confirmed this week to have reached the maximum number of available beds for covid patients is the Escalante-Pradilla Hospital, located in Pérez Zeledón Canton, south of San José Province.
Due to the virus outbreak, this hospital is treating only covid-19 patients. The rest of the patients in the area, who are not infected with covid-19, are being treated in public clinics in San Vito, Golfito, Ciudad Neily, Tomás Casas, downtown Puntarenas and Quepos.
Also, this week a Mobile Medical Unit was installed in the external area of the hospital, for the care of people suspected of having been infected with the virus, and thus reduce the risk of increasing the infection inside the hospital. The unit has three modules with a capacity for 20 beds and basic medical equipment such as monitors, defibrillators, electrocardiographs among other devices, authorities said.
On Dec. 12, the authorities had to transfer 11 covid-19 patients from the Pérez Zeledón Hospital to public hospitals in San José and Cartago, due to reaching the capacity of the medical care units at the health care facility.
That hospital can attend 15 covid-19 patients, but attended 39 infected patients, more than double its maximum capacity, Social Security said.
Last week, health authorities reported that at the Enrique-Baltodano Hospital, located in Liberia Canton, Guanacaste Province, 12 patients were also transferred to public hospitals located in San José Province.
In this hospital, there is the capacity to care for 22 covid-19 patients in the recovery room plus 14 in the intensive care unit. However, due to the increase in new covid-19 infected patients in the region, there was a higher demand for hospitalization services, Warner Picado-Camareno, director of the Hospital said. Therefore, 12 patients had to be diverted. Of these, 11 were hospitalized at the Rafael Angel Calderón Hospital and one at the Mexico Hospital.
According to the Ministry of Health, the country is facing a rapid increase of the virus in the country. The most recent statistics reported on Wednesday are as follows:
• 1,167 new covid-19 cases, bringing the total to 30,349 active cases.
• 20,994 foreign-born people have been infected, totaling 155,263 cases since March, approximately 13.5% of the total cases. Of these, authorities confirmed the death of 32 foreign-born patients. But since October, there is no updated information about foreign-born deaths due to covid-19.
• 629 patients are being treated in public hospitals, where 246 patients are in ICU’s in delicate health conditions (ages range from 1 to 92-years-old). And 383 patients are in recovery rooms. Many of the remaining infected patients are quarantined in their homes.
• 122,947 coronavirus patients have fully recovered, which is a 79.2% recovery rate of the total cases since March.
• 446,344 covid-19 tests have been performed in Costa Rica since March, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering of Johns Hopkins University.
• 1,967 deaths of people infected with covid-19, approximately 1.3% death rate of the total cases since March. Of these 738 women and 1,229 men. The ages range from a 9-year-old to a 101-year-old person.
Readers can see the updated number of total
patients in each district at the National
Distance Education University on its Covid-19 Map.
According to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering, CSSE, at Johns Hopkins University, the pandemic has killed 1,658,424 people worldwide.
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What should Costa Rica do to stop a continued increase in covid-19 cases? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com
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