Coronavirus Bulletin #155 of the Ministry of Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology shows the Dominican Republic has 89,867 confirmed Covid-19 cases, including 857 new cases.
The accumulated incidence of the disease per 100,000 inhabitants as per confirmed PCR tests is highest in the National District and these top 10 provinces: National District (2,447), Pedernales (1,231), Santiago (907), La Altagracia (891), Sánchez Ramírez (811), La Vega (760), Maria Trinidad Sánchez (725), La Romana (720), Azua (718), Barahona (709), and Duarte (698). Santo Domingo province with 665 is in 12th place in the incidence of the disease per 100,000 inhabitants.
The number of confirmed cases depends on the completion of PCR tests. Even the well-off in the Dominican Republic have to wait to get tested or get their test results. There is a long delay in cases pending for results and the tests carried out. The new Abinader administration says it is taking steps to change this situation with 100,000 PCR tests kits soon to become available and more private and public labs offering the test. Public Health Minister Plutarco Arias has announced the government will be contracting to make available Israeli breathalyzers to expedite testing. Those positive to the breathalyzer test will then be tested with a PCR test.
The average testing over the past 14 days is 3,838 PCR tests. The numbers of diagnostic tests carried out over the past 14 days [the difference between the PCR tests reported since the past bulletin] are:
4,382 (Bulletin #155), 3,825 (Bulletin #154), 4,516 (Bulletin #153), 2,181 (Bulletin #152), 2,407 (Bulletin #151), 4,413 (Bulletin #150), 4,352 (Bulletin #149), 5,104 (Bulletin #148), 3,686 (Bulletin #147), 4,367 (Bulletin #146), 2,642 (Bulletin #145), 3,453 (Bulletin #144), 3,772 (Bulletin #143), 4,139 (Bulletin #142), 4,202 (Bulletin #141), 3,491 (Bulletin #140), 4,734 (Bulletin #139), 5,172 (Bulletin #138), 1,685 (Bulletin #137).
The statistical reports do not include rapid response blood antibody tests or patients diagnosed with tomography or other means. At the end of his term, Public Health Minister Rafael Sánchez Cárdenas said the random blood antibody survey revealed that 8.4% of the Dominican population had had the disease. The Dominican Republic has a population of more than 10 million people.
The tally of deaths is now 1,533, including 28 new recorded deaths, since the first Covid-19 case was declared in the DR on 1 March 2020. The daily average number of deaths for the past 14 days is at 19.57. The rising number of deaths reflects that more people are late in receiving hospital care. Most people avoid going to the congested hospitals until their cases are advanced. The deaths have not been increasing anywhere near the more significant numbers of people that are being hospitalized.
As of Bulletin #155, 7,284 patients are hospitalized, a four-day consecutive new record. Of these, 287 patients are in intensive care units. Covid-19 hospitalization capacity is increasing, but the demand is growing likewise with the recent spikes in infections throughout the country. Nevertheless, the number of persons hospitalized seems also to reflect the increase in Covid-19 hospital beds now available. The Ministry of Public Health reports that Covid-19 hospitalization is at 68% of beds habilitated for the disease.
The fatality rate, the number of reported deaths per number of confirmed cases, is 1.71% per million inhabitants. The positivity rate is at 30.63% for the four past weeks. Nevertheless, the disease is spreading among people who do not know they have it. World experts advocate opening the economy when the positivity rate is at 5%.
The 14-day bulletin results are:
Bulletin #155: 89,867 confirmed cases, 857 new cases, 7,284 hospitalized, 1533 deaths, 28 new reported deaths
Bulletin #154: 89,010 confirmed cases, 883 new cases, 7,079 hospitalized, 1,505 deaths, 4 new reported deaths
Bulletin #153: 88,127 confirmed cases, 1,004 new cases, 6,960 hospitalized, 1501 deaths, 12 new reported deaths
Bulletin #152: 87,123 confirmed cases, 380 new cases, 6,818 hospitalized, 1,489 deaths, 8 new reported deaths
Bulletin #151: 86,737 confirmed cases, 428 new cases, 6,835 hospitalized, 1,481 deaths, 28 new reported deaths
Bulletin #150: 86,309 confirmed cases, 754 new cases, 6,885 hospitalized, 1,453 deaths, 15 new reported deaths
Bulletin #149: 85,545 confirmed cases, 1,057 new cases, 6,898 hospitalized, 1,438 deaths, 29 new reported deaths
Bulletin #148: 84,488 confirmed cases, 1,354 new cases, 6,954 hospitalized, 1,409 deaths, 16 new reported deaths
Bulletin #147: 83,134 confirmed cases, 910 new cases, 6,898 hospitalized, 1,393 deaths, 22 new reported deaths
Bulletin #146: 82,224 confirmed cases, 1,130 new cases, 6,758 hospitalized, 1,371 deaths, 25 new reported deaths
Bulletin #145: 81,094 confirmed cases, 595 new cases, 6,680 hospitalized, 1,346 deaths, 18 new reported deaths
Bulletin #144: 80,499 confirmed cases, 767 new cases, 6,775 hospitalized, 1,328 deaths, 19 new reported deaths
Bulletin #143: 79,732 confirmed cases, 954 new cases, 6,837 hospitalized, 1,309 deaths, 20 new reported deaths
Bulletin #142: 78,778 confirmed cases, 1,069 new cases, 6,702 hospitalized, 1,289 deaths, 30 new reported deaths
As of Thursday, 20 August 2020 at 4pm, the deadline for Bulletin #155, the most confirmed cases were located in urban areas where most of the tests are carried out. The National District (25,531) and the Santo Domingo province (19,428) have 50% of cases or 44,959 of 89,867 confirmed cases nationwide. The incidence in Greater Santo Domingo has been declining slightly as the disease spreads in the provinces.
Other provinces with large number of confirmed cases are: Santiago (9,480), San Cristobal (3,425), La Altagracia (3,152), La Vega (3,166), Duarte (2,088), La Romana (1,963), Azua (1,596), Puerto Plata (1,577), Espaillat (1,470), Barahona (1,342), San Juan de la Maguana (1,296), San Pedro de Macoris (1,293), Sánchez Ramírez (1,233), Maria Trinidad Sanchez (1,023), Monseñor Nouel (930) and Peravia (915) are the other provinces that have 500 or more accumulated cases. The National District, province of Santo Domingo and these 16 provinces of 32 make up more than 90% of the confirmed cases nationwide.
Where and how much testing determines the reported new cases. Outbreaks may take days to be reported in the official bulletin. The most new reported cases or recently allocated cases reported for the 20 August update deadline are: National District (215), Santiago (103), Santo Domingo province (90), La Romana (64), La Vega (52), San Cristobal (48), San Juan de la Maguana (41), Duarte (30), San Pedro de Macoris (16), La Altagracia (15) and Peravia (13).
Haiti reports 7,997 confirmed cases and 196 deaths, as of 20 August 2020.
In the Americas, the Dominican Republic is now ranked 11th in confirmed cases after the United States, Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Bolivi and Ecuador.
See the Ministry of Public Health epidemiological
bulletins
John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center
University of Washington Health Data
University of Oxford Covid Tracker
Worldometer
SICA
21 August 2020