COVID-19 pandemic in Costa Rica
The COVID-19 pandemic in Costa Rica is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus was confirmed to have spread to Costa Rica on 6 March 2020, after a 49-year-old woman tourist from New York, United States, tested positive for the virus.
As of 31 July 2020, Costa Rica has reported 17,820 positive cases, 4,404 recoveries, and 150 deaths. The total number of tests performed in Costa Rica was 66.734. As of 30 April, the country had the lowest case fatality rate in the Americas, at about 0.86%. More Costa Ricans have died in the United States than in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is the country with the least daily tests in Central America, an average of 600 to 1.000 daily
Background
On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003, but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.
Timeline
February 2020
On 22 February, a 54-year-old male Costa Rican citizen arrived from Tocumen International Airport in Panama, he started to show symptoms on 28 February, and due to his work at the San Rafael Hospital in Alajuela, a cluster was formed starting with some of his family members, patients and coworkers. It was treated as a suspicious case, and confirmed on 7 March.March 2020
On March 5, the Costa Rican Ministry of Health announced that it was investigating a possible first case of coronavirus in the country. It was a 52-year-old Costa Rican woman from the canton of Pococí, who visited Italy and Tunisia and returned to the country on February 29 without symptoms. The pertinent tests were carried out on the woman and they were sent to the Costa Rican Institute of Research and Teaching in Nutrition and Health to either rule out or confirm the case. However, this case was ruled out 24 hours after the test was performed.On 6 March, the first case in Costa Rica was confirmed. The individual was a 49-year-old American woman who had arrived on a flight from New York on 1 March. She did not exhibit symptoms at the time. She was isolated in a San José lodging along with her husband who had also been in contact with infected persons in New York.
On 7 March, four new cases were confirmed. One of them was directly related to the first case, both being US citizens who were visiting Costa Rica. The other cases are Costa Ricans.
On 8 March, another four new cases were confirmed, two of them were imported. Some patients were located at public hospitals while most of the foreign nationals remained at their respective hotels.
On 11 March, a total of 22 confirmed cases was given by the Minister of Health of Costa Rica. 14 men and 8 women of which 19 are Costa Ricans and the other 3 are from other countries. They range from the ages of 10 to 73 years old. It was also announced by the health authorities that there were confirmed cases in the Costa Rican cantons of Alajuela, Escazú, Desamparados, Grecia, Heredia, San José, San Pablo, Santa Cruz and Tibás.
On 12 March, health authorities confirmed a total of 23 cases, the latest case is a local health care worker.
On 13 March, the Ministry of Health confirmed 3 new cases, raising the total number of cases to 26, found in the provinces of San José, Alajuela, Heredia and Guanacaste, plus now the province of Cartago.
On 15 March, the Costa Rican health authorities reported 8 more cases of the virus, for a total of 35. It was reported that there were 19 women and 16 infected men, of whom 30 were Costa Rican and 5 foreigners, with positive cases being registered in San José, Heredia, Guanacaste, Alajuela and Cartago. The media reported 28 adults, 3 older adults and 4 infected minors were infected, while 450 tests have come back negative. A total of 350 educational centers have been closed down. Three patients were placed in ICU cubicles. Health authorities also confirmed cases in the cantons of Santa Ana, Grecia, Nicoya, La Unión, Poás, Pérez Zeledón, San Pablo and Barva.
On 16 March, the Health Minister confirmed 41 cases of coronavirus in the country.
On 17 March, the Costa Rican health authorities reported 9 new cases. The number of infected women rose to 24 and the number of men to 26, of which 44 are Costa Rican and 6 are foreigners. In addition, the number of negative tests rose to 720. New cases were confirmed in the cantons of Cartago and Curridabat.
On 18 March, 19 more cases were confirmed for a total of 69. Cases were confirmed in 30 women and 39 men, of whom 63 are Costa Rican and 6 foreign, and of whom 57 represent adults, 7 senior citizens and 5 minors. Cases were also confirmed in the cantons of Goicoechea, Moravia, Santo Domingo, and Santa Bárbara.
One senior citizen, an 87-year-old man, died on 18 March and is the first COVID-19 death in Costa Rica. He was one of 25 people infected by a doctor in Alajuela.
On 19 March, 18 more cases were confirmed for a total of 87. Infected people were found in an age range between 2 and 87 years. There were 35 women and 52 men, of whom 79 are Costa Rican and 8 foreigners. The first case was also announced in the province of Limón, in the canton of the same name. On the afternoon of 19 March, the Ministry of Health announced two more cases for a total of 89, these in Ciudad Quesada, in the canton of San Carlos.
Later, on 19 March, the health authorities announced the second death of a patient with Coronavirus in Costa Rica. It was an older adult, of 87 years old, and resident of Alajuela.
On 20 March, the Ministry of Health confirmed a total of 113 cases, adding a total of 24 more cases. The Ministry also reported the recovery of the first two patients with the virus, who were the two American tourists who were isolated in a hotel in San José. New cases were also reported in the cantons of Vásquez de Coronado and Montes de Oca.
On 21 March, health authorities reported only 4 more cases for a total of 117. This is the lowest number of new confirmed cases since 15 March. In addition, the number of negative tests rose to 1,190.
On 22 March, the Ministry of Health reported an increase of 17 cases, giving a total of 134, of which 55 represent women and 79 men, and of which 117 are Costa Rican and 17 foreigners, all with an age range between 2 and 87 years. These cases included the first case in Aserrí and the first case in the province of Puntarenas, this one in the city of San Vito, Coto Brus canton. There are also 1,400 people who tested negative and 9 people in hospitals, three of them in intensive care.
On 23 March, the Ministry of Health reported a total of 158 confirmed cases, an increase of 24 cases. 68 women and 90 men have contracted the disease.
On 24 March, the health authorities reported an increase of 19 cases for a total of 177. It was reported that the cases comprised people between 2 and 87 years of age, of which 103 are men and 74 are women. 159 are Costa Rican and 18 foreigners. It was also reported that there are 6 people hospitalized, of which 4 are in intensive care. Lastly, the number of negative tests rose to 1,619. The cantons of Jiménez, Liberia and Montes de Oro reported their first cases.
On 25 March, a total of 201 cases were reported, for an increase of 24. Of the reported cases, 183 represent Costa Ricans and 18 foreigners. There were 65 more negative results bringing the total to 1,684. The first cases were reported in the cantons of Orotina, Alvarado, Belén, Flores, Puntarenas and Garabito.
On 26 March, the Ministry of Health reported a total of 231 confirmed cases, an increase of 31. Of the reported cases, 101 represent women and 130 men, of which 209 are Costa Rican and 18 foreigners. In addition, the number of negative tests rose to 2,331, and 8 cases were being analyzed for discharge. The first cases were reported in the cantons of Sarchí, Oreamuno, El Guarco and Tilarán. Lastly, 5 people were reported to be in intensive care in hospitals. A total of 22 health care workers have contracted the virus so far.
On 27 March, the health authorities reported an increase of 32 cases, for a total of 263, this being the day with the highest number of confirmed cases since the virus arrived in the country. Of the reported cases, 121 represented women and 142 men, of whom 241 are Costa Rican and 20 foreigners. In addition, a total of 2,786 tests have been negative, and another patient recovered, for a total of 3 recoveries. The first cases were reported in the cantons of Tarrazú, Mora, San Ramón and Carrillo.
On 28 March, a total of 295 cases were reported, an increase of 32. Of the reported cases, 157 represent men and 138 women, of which 272 are Costa Rican, 21 foreigners and 2 are under investigation. A total of 2,912 negative tests and 9 hospitalized patients were reported, plus 6 in intensive care. So far 52 health workers of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund have contracted the virus. The first cases were reported in the cantons of Alajuelita, Turrubares and Naranjo.
On 29 March, the Ministry of Health reported a total of 314 confirmed cases, for an increase of 19. Of the reported cases, 164 represented men and 150 women, of which 290 are Costa Rican and 24 foreigners. There have been 3115 negative tests, and 13 people have been hospitalized. The first case was also reported in the canton of Osa.
On 30 March, health authorities announced an increase of 16 cases, for a total of 330. Cases included 170 males and 160 females, 303 are Costa Ricans and 27 are foreign nationals; 293 are adults, 24 are senior citizens, plus 13 minors. Out of 3,692 tests, 8.9 percent have been positive and the rest have been negative. One patient has recovered, for a total of 4 recoveries. The Minister of Health warned that the country had just started climbing the curve of cases. The first case was reported in canton of San Isidro.
On 31 March, the Minister of Health reported a total of 347 cases, an increase of 17. Cases consisted of 180 males and 167 females, 320 were Costa Ricans and 27 were foreign nationals. They ruled 3,498 cases as negative, and the number of patients hospitalized rose to 15, 8 of whom were in intensive care.
April 2020
On 1 April, the Ministry of Health reported a total of 375 confirmed cases, for an increase of 28. Of the reported cases, 194 represent men and 181 women, of which 346 are Costa Rican and 29 foreigners. In addition, a total of 3,843 negative tests were reported. The first case was also presented in the canton of Esparza.On 2 April, the health authorities reported an increase of 21 cases, for a total of 396. Of the reported cases, 204 represent men and 192 women, of whom 366 are Costa Rican and 30 foreign, and of whom 356 are adults, 26 older adults and 14 minors. A total of 3,954 tests have been found negative, and 2 more patients recovered, for a total of 6. An increase in the number of hospitalized to 17 was also reported.
On 3 April, a total of 416 cases were reported, an increase of 20. Of these, 215 represent men and 201 women, of whom 385 are Costa Rican and 31 foreigners. There were 4,044 tests ruled negative, and the number of hospitalized people increased to 23, of whom 13 were in intensive care. Five more people were declared as recovered, for a total of 11. The first case was also presented in the canton of Hojancha.
On 4 April, the Ministry of Health reported a total of 435 confirmed cases, for an increase of 19. Of these cases, 223 represent men and 212 women, of which 404 are Costa Rican and 31 foreigners. In addition, a total of 4,219 negative tests were reported. Two more people were declared as recovered, for a total of 13. The first case was also presented in the canton of Paraíso.
On 5 April, the health authorities reported an increase of 19 cases, for a total of 454. Of the reported cases, 232 represent men and 222 women, of whom 423 are Costa Rican and 31 foreigners. The confirmed cases consist of 411 adults, 28 seniors and 15 minors. A total of 4,644 negative tests were reported and 3 more patients were declared as recovered, for a total of 16. An increase in the number of hospitalized was also reported to 26, of which 14 were in intensive care.
On 6 April, a total of 467 cases were reported, an increase of 13. Of these, 240 represent men and 227 women, of whom 435 are Costa Rican and 32 foreigners. 4896 discarded cases were reported. Two more people were declared as recovered, for a total of 18.
On 7 April, the Ministry of Health reported a total of 483 confirmed cases, for an increase of 16. Of these, 246 represent men and 237 women, of which 449 are Costa Rican and 34 foreigners. In addition, a total of 5042 discarded cases were reported and the number of hospitalized persons increased to 25. Six more people were declared as recovered, for a total of 24. The first case was also presented in the canton of Turrialba.
On 8 April, the health authorities reported an increase of 19 cases, for a total of 502. Of the reported cases, 259 represent men and 243 women, of which 468 are Costa Rican and 34 foreign, and of which 455 are adults, 29 older adults and 18 minors. A total of 5533 discarded cases were reported and five more were declared as recovered, for a total of 29. A decrease in the number of hospitalized was also reported to 23, of which 15 were in intensive care. The first recovery of an intensive care patient in the country was also reported.
On the afternoon of April 8, the Ministry of Health confirmed the third death of a patient with Coronavirus in Costa Rica. It was a 45-year-old man, without risk factors, and a resident of San José.
On 9 April, a total of 539 cases were reported, an increase of 37, the highest number of confirmed cases on the same day to date. Of these, 280 represent men and 259 women, of whom 505 are Costa Rican and 34 foreigners. 5759 discarded cases were reported and one more person was declared as recovered, for a total of 30. The number of hospitalized patients decreased to 19. The first case was also presented in the canton of Siquirres.
On 10 April, the Ministry of Health reported a total of 558 confirmed cases, for an increase of 19. Of these cases, 289 represent men and 269 women, of which 524 are Costa Rican and 34 foreigners. In addition, a total of 5894 cases were discarded and the number of hospitalized persons increased to 20, of which 13 were found in intensive care. Twelve others were declared as recovered, for a total of 42. The first case was also presented in the canton of Puriscal.
On 11 April, the health authorities reported an increase of 19 cases, for a total of 577. Of the reported cases, 300 represent men and 277 women, of whom 541 are Costa Rican and 36 foreign, and of whom 526 are adults, 31 older adults and 20 minors. A total of 6031 discarded cases were reported and seven more were declared as recovered, for a total of 49. A decrease in the number of hospitalized patients was also reported to 18. The first case was also presented in the canton of Pococí.
On 12 April, a total of 595 cases were reported, an increase of 18. Of these, 310 represent men and 285 women, of whom 557 are Costa Rican and 38 foreigners. A total of 6167 cases were discarded and seven more were declared as recovered, for a total of 56. The number of hospitalized patients increased to 19.
On 13 April, the Ministry of Health reported a total of 612 confirmed cases, for an increase of 17. Of these, 317 represent men and 295 women, of which 569 are Costa Rican and 43 foreigners. In addition, a total of 6,256 cases were discarded and the number of hospitalized persons increased to 20, of which 14 were found in intensive care. Seven more people were declared as recovered, for a total of 62.
On 14 April, the health authorities reported an increase of 6 cases, for a total of 618, the lowest number of confirmed cases on the same day since March 21. Of the reported cases, 320 represent men and 298 women, of whom 575 are Costa Rican and 43 foreigners, and of whom 562 are adults, 31 older adults and 25 minors. A total of 6326 discarded cases were reported and four more were declared as recovered, for a total of 66. A decrease in the number of hospitalized was also reported to 19, of which 13 were in intensive care.
On 15 April, a total of 626 cases were reported, an increase of 8. Of these, 324 represent men and 302 women, of which 570 are Costa Rican and 43 foreigners. A total of 6511 cases were discarded and one more person was declared as recovered, for a total of 67. The number of hospitalized patients decreased to 16, of which 11 were in intensive care. The Ministry also reported a cluster of cases in a CCSS call center in San José, where up to 31 cases of COVID-19 were reported.
On the morning of April 15, the Ministry of Health confirmed the fourth death of a patient with COVID-19 in Costa Rica. It was an 84-year-old man, with risk factors, and who was admitted to the San Juan de Dios Hospital, in San José.
On 16 April, a total of 642 cases were reported, an increase of 16 from the previous day.
May 2020
Government response
March 2020
On 8 March, the Costa Rican Ministry of Health and the National Emergency Committee raised the sanitary alert level to yellow.On 11 March, the University of Costa Rica ordered its teachers to suspend all face-to-face classes and implement a virtual teaching modality.
On 12 March, the Minister of Health stated Costa Rica will not close its borders to international visitors at that time.
The CNE has launched the brand new 1322 COVID-19 help line. Leaders of Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Dominican Republic signed an agreement for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. It includes canceling the Costa Rican film festival.
On 15 March, the Ministry of Education of Costa Rica decided to temporarily suspend lessons in a total of 317 educational centers, representing 7% of Costa Rica's educational centers. Closures included educational centers with confirmed cases of COVID-19, all public schools for special education, educational centers belonging to the same school circuit as the educational center where a confirmed case was identified, and educational centers that have been affected by prolonged water rationing.
Moreover, an executive agreement between the President of the Republic, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, and the Minister of Health, Daniel Salas, granted health authority to the members of the Costa Rican Public Force for the surveillance and control of the virus, both to verify the closure of bars, clubs and casinos, as well as to ensure 50% of visiting capacity for the other meeting centers. Businesses that do not comply with the new sanitary policy will be subject of a 30 day long closure.
On 16 March, the government also decreed a state of national emergency, due to the threat of the virus after being present in the country for only 10 days. In addition, lessons were suspended in all public and private schools and colleges until 4 April. Access to the country was also reduced to only Costa Ricans and permanent residents, a measure that will start a minute after midnight on 18 March and last until 12 April. Those entering must remain in quarantine for at least 14 days.
On 20 March, after the school kitchen workers refused to serve students, the Ministry of Public Education agreed on delivering food packages to the parents of their students.
On 23 March, the Ministry of Health and the Government announced new prevention measures against the virus, including the total closure of beaches in the country, the mandatory closure of temples and religious services, and vehicle restriction in the main cities of the country from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.. All residents and refugees will lose their migratory status if they leave the country for any reason.
On 24 March, the government announced they will temporarily reduce their in person workforce by 80% and also void the salary raise approved last January for all public servants except for the police force.
On 26 March, the Finance Minister discussed a bill that the government would be presenting later on. This bill would mean the creation of a solidarity tax that would be deducted from all workers' salaries that earned more than ¢ 500.000. Its goal was helping people impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Hours later president Carlos Alvarado published that he would not support that bill and stated that "Plan Proteger" consisted of protecting the unemployed and workers already impacted by salary reductions.
On 27 March, the Government announced the extension of the sanitary vehicle restriction on weekends from 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. In addition, the Government announced that it was evaluating the implementation of a temporary solidarity tax on wages above ¢ 1.1 million, a measure that would raise up to ¢ 25,000 million per month, however, the Government announced that other sources of income will be processed and that it will present an extraordinary budget of ¢ 225,000 million.
On 28 March, the Minister of Health Daniel Salas announced they would be imposing a new sanitary restriction for all businesses with sanitary permits that serve the public. This measure would begin at 8 p.m. weekends, starting that very same day.
On 30 March, the Ministry of Health sent a bill to the Asamblea Legislativa, the Costa Rican Congress. This bill pretended to reform the article 378 of the Ley General de Salud in order to impose fines for violating the sanitary restriction or the quarantine, ranging from 1 through 5 base salaries.
On 31 March, the government announced the opening of the new Centro Especializado de Atención de Pacientes con COVID-19, a center specialized in COVID-19 patients at the facilities of CENARE. It reinforced the services provided by the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social in Costa Rica by treating up to 88 COVID-19 patients in intermediate or continuing care units.
April 2020
On April 1, with Holy Week and Easter approaching, the government announced new measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 during this time when people are used to going out and vacationing. The main measure was to extend the night driving restriction from Friday, April 3 and until Tuesday, April 7, from 5:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. throughout the country. Long-distance public transport will also be restricted, and establishments with sanitary operating permits and attention to face-to-face public will be closed.In addition, the Legislative Assembly approved two bills to increase the fines for noncompliance with sanitary orders and vehicle restriction. Fines ranging from ₡450,000 to ₡2.2 million would be applied if a person having risk factors and being a suspected or confirmed case of the disease fails to comply with the isolation order. In the case of the traffic law reform, drivers could be subject to a fine of ₡107,000, a loss of six points on their license, and removal of license plates if they violate the restriction.
On 9 April, the Government announced the launch of an economic bonus for those workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The bonus varies between ₡125,000 per month for people laid off or with a workday reduced to 50% or more, and ₡62,500 per month for those who have reduced their workday by 50% or less.
The first week of April, the Clodomiro Picado Research Institute of the University of Costa Rica, together with the Costa Rican Social Security Fund, announced the initiative that they were preparing a treatment for the new coronavirus from the blood donated by people whom recovered from COVID-19. Three options were announced; the first would refer to using convalescent plasma, which is to take blood from a recovered patient to fractionate from their plasma the part where the antibodies that released the virus are found and transfuse to a patient who is COVID-19 positive.
The second investigation would be to use the blood of a recovered person, but also to purify the antibodies produced, isolate those and apply to a patient. The third option is to create antifidical serum in horses, generating only the antibodies against virus proteins.
On April 17, the Government announced that it made the first deposit of the Bono Proteger bond to a total of 33,000 beneficiaries.
On April 21, the Ministry of Public Education announced the cancellation of the application of the FARO national standardized tests, which would begin to be applied this year to eleventh-year students of academic schools, in the face of the coronavirus crisis.
On April 23, the Government announced that, due to the high demand for coronavirus test kits, the Costa Rican Social Security Fund together with the National Center for High Technology through the CENIBiot Laboratory would begin to produce its own coronavirus tests for the country's population.
May 2020
On 1 May, the Ministry of Health announced the reopening of cinemas, theaters, gyms, bicycle rentals and swimming schools, but with measures to prevent the virus, such as the opening of these only between 5 am and 7 pm and with a reduced capacity of people.On 11 May, the Ministry of Public Education announced that regular attendance lessons would return after the summer holidays, scheduled between 29 June and 10 July, as long as the situation of the pandemic allows it.
The Ministry of Environment and Energy, announced a plan to reopen twelve National Parks in the country, with health measures to prevent the spread of the virus, such as the limited entry of people. It was also announced the reopening of all the country's beaches between 5 and 8 in the morning, during the week, and for sports only, excluding leisure purposes. Also, the Ministry of Health announced that it will allow the return of physical recreational activities that do not involve direct physical contact between people, while the return of activities such as the soccer championship and other high-performance disciplines will be allowed, which must always operate behind closed doors. Lastly, the Costa Rican Tourism Institute announced the reopening of hotels, but only with 50% of its total capacity and with a maximum of 20 rooms reserved at the same time.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport announced new measures regarding the sanitary vehicle restriction, where the restriction will be exercised from Monday to Friday from 10 at night to 5 in the morning of the following day, and the ends of week from 7 pm to 5 am the following day. In addition, the national restriction by number of plates is maintained.
On 14 May, 52 deputies of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica signed a letter addressed to the Pan American Health Organization, requesting "urgent and forceful" actions in the face of the COVID-19 situation in Nicaragua, since, according to the legislators, "the Nicaraguan government has recklessly handled the health crisis due to COVID-19", for which they denounce that it could have negative effects in neighboring countries, including Costa Rica.
June 2020
On June 1 the Ministry of Health reportedOn July 9 Costa Rica got to 649 new cases which is, maybe, the biggest number of cases in one day. Also, the health ministry declared that in GAM there was community contagion. And in cantons that were in orange zone would have different vehicular restriction
Impact
By 25 March, the Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Business Chambers of the Central American Isthmus reported that around 3% of the companies have reduced their workforce, with such figure projected to grow to 55% in a month. Other projections forecast an 18% of suspended operations and 11% of definitive closures.Hospitality businesses
On 25 March, the Costar Rica Institute of Tourism declared the tourism sector in a total emergency and calamity state; a zero visitors season is expected for at least three months.On 26 March, the Chamber of Restaurants and Bars of Costa Rica reported 109,000 laid off workers, and 42% of the affiliated businesses were closed.