Transmission of COVID-19 infections spiked during Día de las Mercedes

Santo Domingo, DR

The consequences of the lack of control and respect that a part of the population assumed over the long weekend for the Day of the Virgen de la Mercedes, on September 24, in the run-up to the reduction of curfew hours, on Monday 28, are reflected in a resurgence of the coronavirus in the country, with 6,750 new infections and 87 deaths reported over 14 days.

Beaches, hotels, crowded grocery stores, home-based activities, and other crowds have triggered all the indicators, in a country where authorities claimed to have controlled the pandemic and taken measures to reopen the economy. The news was illustrated with photographs and videos of people without masks or proper distances between them.

On September 24th, the record of deaths by covid-19 in the country was 2,076 in bulletin #189, with 385 new cases and an accumulated number of 110,122 infections.

The days following these public gatherings, the cases remained between 475; 360; 429; 280; 234; 309; but on the seventh day, the numbers began to change, the new infections began to emerge Bulletin # 196, there were 519 new cases.

On the eighth day, there were 622 new cases in bulletin #197; on the ninth day, there were 576 new cases.

During the last two days, the number of cases shot up. In bulletin #202, 13 days after the holiday, 777 positive cases were reported, and on the 14th, 724 new cases were registered. In these last two bulletins, the daily positivity rate was between 16.89% and 19.37 when the holiday rate was at 12.60%.

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Isolation is a measure that people with symptoms of Covid-19 take to avoid infecting others in the community, including their family members. It occurs when a person with a fever, cough, or other symptoms stays home from work, school, or public places.