Costa Rica applies nighttime restrictions – on the brink of sanitary collapse
The president of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, expressed in a last-minute conference that the country has struggled not to reach the saturation of intensive care units.
Costa Rican authoritiesThey announced this Saturday that from next Tuesday they will apply nighttime restrictions to commercial establishments and vehicles, due to the accelerated increase in cases of covid-19 and an intensive care occupation of 94% of the country's capacity.
The president of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, expressed in a last-minute conference that the country has struggled not to reach the saturation of intensive care units. However, everything seems to indicate that the moment of saturation will come and that is why this alert is so important, he added.
Official data indicate that Costa Rica registered 1,840 new cases of covid-19 in one day this Saturday, there are 662 people hospitalized simultaneously, as well as 303 patients in intensive care units, all these historical maximum figures since the beginning of the health crisis .
Faced with this scenario, the Government announced that it will apply, from next Tuesday, April 27, until Sunday, May 16, a nighttime restriction on establishments and vehicles, after 9:00 p.m. to reduce mobility and travel.
"The measures do not include closures because as a government we understand that people need to continue working to bring sustenance to homes, but measures must be taken to avoid the pain and suffering that this pandemic has caused," said the president.
Before Easter, the country reported an average of 400 cases of covid-19 per day. However, in less than three weeks it tripled that amount, an increase that makes it difficult to meet the demand for covid-19 patients and other pathologies.
The beds in critical intensive units (ICU) for covid-19 are 94% occupied and the health authorities have only seven free beds, while the severe ICU beds have a status of 84% and there are 32 free.
"We are on the verge of the worst health catastrophe in the history of the country, at an unprecedented moment. There is an imminent risk that in a very short term the beds will run out, all the beds, and there will be no capacity to care for people not only from covid-19, but from heart attacks, traffic accidents or injuries with firearms," explained the medical manager of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), Mario Ruiz.
According to data from the CCSS, out of every five people, two have required intensive care. In addition, out of 10 people hospitalized, six are between the ages of 30 and 59. While currently the average stay of patients in the hospital has increased from 10 to 13 days.
Therefore, it is projected that this "is not going to be the most critical moment, because the numbers will continue to rise in hospitalization in the coming weeks," Ruiz said.
For his part, the Minister of Health, Daniel Salas, asked the population to strictly comply with the sanitary protocols and become aware of the situation that exists, since "we are about to enter the darkest stage of Costa Rica in modern times. ".
The security authorities also announced that they will continue with road control operations and visits to commercial establishments to verify that all measures are being met.
The president of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, expressed in a last-minute conference that the country has struggled not to reach the saturation of intensive care units. However, everything seems to indicate that the moment of saturation will come and that is why this alert is so important, he added.
Official data indicate that Costa Rica registered 1,840 new cases of covid-19 in one day this Saturday, there are 662 people hospitalized simultaneously, as well as 303 patients in intensive care units, all these historical maximum figures since the beginning of the health crisis .
Faced with this scenario, the Government announced that it will apply, from next Tuesday, April 27, until Sunday, May 16, a nighttime restriction on establishments and vehicles, after 9:00 p.m. to reduce mobility and travel.
"The measures do not include closures because as a government we understand that people need to continue working to bring sustenance to homes, but measures must be taken to avoid the pain and suffering that this pandemic has caused," said the president.
Before Easter, the country reported an average of 400 cases of covid-19 per day. However, in less than three weeks it tripled that amount, an increase that makes it difficult to meet the demand for covid-19 patients and other pathologies.
The beds in critical intensive units (ICU) for covid-19 are 94% occupied and the health authorities have only seven free beds, while the severe ICU beds have a status of 84% and there are 32 free.
"We are on the verge of the worst health catastrophe in the history of the country, at an unprecedented moment. There is an imminent risk that in a very short term the beds will run out, all the beds, and there will be no capacity to care for people not only from covid-19, but from heart attacks, traffic accidents or injuries with firearms," explained the medical manager of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), Mario Ruiz.
According to data from the CCSS, out of every five people, two have required intensive care. In addition, out of 10 people hospitalized, six are between the ages of 30 and 59. While currently the average stay of patients in the hospital has increased from 10 to 13 days.
Therefore, it is projected that this "is not going to be the most critical moment, because the numbers will continue to rise in hospitalization in the coming weeks," Ruiz said.
For his part, the Minister of Health, Daniel Salas, asked the population to strictly comply with the sanitary protocols and become aware of the situation that exists, since "we are about to enter the darkest stage of Costa Rica in modern times. ".
The security authorities also announced that they will continue with road control operations and visits to commercial establishments to verify that all measures are being met.