The pandemic has killed 47 children under the age of 19

Two new deaths due to Covid-19 were notified yesterday by the Ministry of Public Health, raising the number of deaths to 4,293 in the country, while 2,763 new positives of the virus were registered in the last 24 hours.

Among those who died from Covid-19, the National Directorate of Epidemiology registers 47 deaths in children under 19 years of age: 73 in pregnant women and 23 in health sector workers, although the Dominican Medical College (CMD) estimates that deaths in the latter exceed 80 cases.

The epidemiological bulletin number 678 issued yesterday notifies 61,450 confirmed positive cases of the virus in children under 20 years of age since the beginning of the pandemic; 1,818 in pregnant women and 2,251 in health workers.

In the last 24 hours, 17,243 laboratory samples were processed, with a daily positivity of 28.56% and the previous four weeks in 29.50%.

Higher incidence
Yesterday the National District and five provinces recorded the highest number of positive virus cases. In the province of Santo Domingo, 671 new cases were detected, followed by the National District with 598, Santiago with 302, La Vega with 239, San Juan de la Maguana with 169, and Duarte 107.

Active virus cases stand at 19,609 cases, showing a reduction compared to previous days when they reached more than 40 thousand. The country offers 547,091 cumulative registrations of positive diagnoses and 523,189 recovered patients.

Covid Beds
Yesterday, the system reported 666 hospitalized patients for a 28 percent occupancy of regular Covid-19 beds and 236 in Intensive Care Units (ICU) for an occupation of 40 percent of the beds enabled.

A total of 131 patients were on ventilators yesterday for 28 percent occupancy.

In the last 24 hours, 7,017 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and 10,226 antigen tests were performed, of which 9,674 were done for the first time, and 7,569 were subsequent.

In the country, 2,919,647 laboratory samples have been processed since the pandemic began, equivalent to 279,432 per million people.

Responsiveness
Regarding the country’s hospital response capacity to the pandemic, yesterday Dr. Yocasta Lara, in charge of the public hospital network of the National Health Service (SNS), said that the country has enough beds, medicines and supplies to continue responding to national demand.

Figures
Availability
The Public Hospital Network enabled for Covid-19 has 1,489 hospitalization beds, 316 ICU beds, and 280 ventilators, Yocasta Lara reported.

Yesterday, he added, there were 288 regular beds in use, 125 intensive care beds, and 83 ventilators, which equates to an occupancy of 19%, 40%, and 30%, respectively.

He said that daily he makes a survey and a supervision tour of the health centers and realizes that everyone is committed.