The Ministry of Public Health’s Epidemiology Department Coronavirus Bulletin #255 reports 820 new PCR confirmed cases. The 7-day nationwide average for PCR confirmed cases is 725.
Some 4,831 first PCR tests were carried out in time for the Saturday, 28 November 2020 report deadline. The government is reaching out to the population in shopping malls, government offices and companies, and more testing is being carried out. The 14-day average is 4,813. The country has the capacity to process 10,000 PCR tests a day.
The 4-week positivity rate is 12.30%, again up slightly. The 24-hour positivity is a recent high of 17.04%. The number of reported active cases is now up again, this time to 26,325 cases.
The Ministry of Public Health Covid-19 team had been more aggressive in testing. The Ministry has set up more fixed stations and expanded testing services at public hospitals and places to catch the disease early. The Ministry has also undertaken corporate testing. It is unknown what percentage of the increase in cases results from the testing outreach programs or the actual increase in spread.
The Dominican
Republic continues under a National State of Emergency through 15 January 2021. The Ministry of Public Health is concerned that home and friends’ gatherings and increased mobility may lead to the same virus flare-ups that have affected other countries worldwide. Bulletin #255 reflects an upward trend in cases.
The good weather year-round allows for people to gather outside in the Dominican Republic. Restaurants that offer outside dining and are packed with people seeking to enjoy time with friends and relatives outside the home. Likewise, Black Friday shopping had crowds of people out on the streets and in stores. Resorts and public beaches are also full of Dominicans seeking the freedom of outdoor outings with friends and family.
The Ministry of Public Health continues to recommend keeping the evening curfew and preventive measures. In the cities, mask-wearing is the norm. President Luis Abinader himself has expressed concern people letting down their guard will lead to the surges in cases seen abroad. President Abinader has said there could be flexibility in the evening curfew for the 24 and 31 December festivities. But the President and the health authorities say the health indicators closer to the holiday festivities will determine whether measures are relaxed or toughened.
Public Health Minister Plutarco Arias has recommended declaring Christmas Eve a holiday on 24 December and that Dominican families gather for lunch rather than the traditional dinner on the day. The curfew hours are from 9pm to 5am Monday to Friday, and 7pm to 5am on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
As per Bulletin #255, with the deadline of 28 November 2020, the Ministry of Public Health has registered 143,673 confirmed cases since the first case on 1 March 2020. Partial curfew has been in place since 18 March 2020.
Despite the recent spike, the number of deaths continues to be low. As of 28 November bulletin, the toll of deaths in the Dominican Republic was 2,330 for a population of more than 10 million. The fatality rate is 1.62% over the past four weeks. This number has been consistently dropping for the past two months. The fatality rate per 1M inhabitants is 223. Dominican treatment for the disease has been relatively successful in the region. The Ministry of Public Health reports that the country’s 223 fatality rate per 1M compares favorably to the average 1M inhabitants’ fatality rate for the Americas at 694.
Worldometer lists the 1M deaths per inhabitant rate for the Dominican Republic at 214. According to the 1M deaths statistics, fewer people have died of Covid-19 in the Dominican Republic than in Spain at 955, Italy at 909, Argentina at 848, the United Kingdom at 856, the United States at 823, Brazil at 811, France at 801, Colombia at 716 and Canada at 318, all major markets for Dominican tourism.
The Ministry of Public Health report #255 keeps an upward trend for hospitalization units. 26% of Covid-19 hospital beds are occupied (749 of 2,872 total available). 38% of the intensive care units for Covid-19 are taken (191 of 500 beds).
The past 14 days bulletin results are:
Bulletin #255: 143,473 confirmed cases, 820 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 2 deaths are reported in the past 24 hours, none in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.62%, fatality rate per 1M is 223.
Bulletin #254: 142,653 confirmed cases, 876 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 2 deaths are reported in the past 24 hours, none in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.63%, fatality rate per 1M is 222.81.
Bulletin #253: 141,777 confirmed cases, 855 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 7 deaths are reported in the past 24 hours, none in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.64%, fatality rate per 1M is 222.42.
Bulletin #252: 140,922 confirmed cases, 1,258 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 2 deaths are reported in the past 24 hours, none in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.64%, fatality rate per 1M is 221.75.
Bulletin #251: 139,396 confirmed cases, 567 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 2 deaths are reported in the past 24 hours, none in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.66%, fatality rate per 1M is 221.56.
Bulletin #250: 139,111 confirmed cases, 282 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 2 death are reported in the past 24 hours, one in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.66%, fatality rate per 1M is 221.37.
Bulletin #249: 138,829 confirmed cases, 419 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 1 death are reported in the past 24 hours, none in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.67%, fatality rate per 1M is 221.18.
Bulletin #248: 138,410 confirmed cases, 640 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 2 deaths are reported in the past 24 hours, none in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.67%, fatality rate per 1M is 221.08.
Bulletin #247: 137,770 confirmed cases, 986 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 2 deaths are reported in the past 24 hours, two in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.68%, fatality rate per 1M is 220.89.
Bulletin #246: 136,784 confirmed cases, 601 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 8 deaths are reported in the past 24 hours, three in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.69%, fatality rate per 1M is 220.70.
Bulletin #245: 136,183 confirmed cases, 1,026 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 8 deaths are reported in the past 24 hours, none in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.69%, fatality rate per 1M is 220.22.
Bulletin #244: 135,157 confirmed cases, 460 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 3 deaths are reported in the past 24 hours, none in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.70%, fatality rate per 1M is 219.46.
Bulletin #243: 134,697 confirmed cases, 494 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 4 deaths are reported in the past 24 hours, none in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.70%, fatality rate per 1M is 219.17.
Bulletin #242: 134,203 confirmed cases, 479 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 1 death is reported in the past 24 hours, the same one that occurred in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.70%, fatality rate per 1M is 218.79.
Bulletin #241: 133,724 confirmed cases, 499 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 2 deaths are reported in the past 24 hours, none having occurred in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.71%, fatality rate per 1M is 218.69.
Greater Santo Domingo continues to lead in the number of reported PCR cases. As of 28 November at 6pm, the deadline for Bulletin #255, the most confirmed cases have been reported in the National District (38,043) and the Santo Domingo province (29,175). The numbers account for 46.8% of the 143,473 confirmed cases nationwide.
Other provinces with more than 500 confirmed cases are: Santiago (15,328), La Vega (5,557), La Altagracia (5,181), San Cristobal (5,150), Puerto Plata (3,961), Duarte (3,959), La Romana (3,483), Espaillat (2,933), San Juan de la Maguana (2,361), Monseñor Nouel (2,202), Sánchez Ramírez (2,177), Barahona (2,122), Azua (2,081), San Pedro de Macoris (1,928), Peravia (1,391), Maria Trinidad Sánchez (1,366), Valverde (1,042), Hermanas Mirabal (1,010), Baoruco (995), Independencia (715), Santiago Rodriguez (710), Monte Plata (642), San José de Ocoa (605), Pedernales (566), Samaná (566) and El Seibo (550).
The Ministry indicates that the newest allocated cases (more than 9) reported for 28 November 2020 update deadline are: National District (279), Santo Domingo (123), San Cristóbal (92), Santiago (77), Espaillat (54), Duarte (53), Monseñor Nouel (47), La Vega (37) and La Altagracia (10).
Haiti reports 9,272 confirmed cases and 232 deaths, for the 28 November 2020 deadline. The number of deaths for Haiti has not been maintained since 26 October. The Ministry of Health in Haiti has reported a spike in cases, but has not updated the statistics.
In the Americas, the Dominican Republic is now ranked 12th in confirmed cases after the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Canada, Ecuador, Bolivia and Panama.
See the Ministry of Public Health epidemiological
bulletins
John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center
University of Washington Health Data
University of Oxford Covid Tracker
Worldometer
Our World in Data
SICA
30 November 2020