The Ministry of Public Health’s Epidemiology Department Coronavirus Bulletin #291 reports a record 2,043 new PCR confirmed cases. Vice President Raquel Peña, who heads the Health Cabinet, says the record number reflects the high mobility during the Christmas holiday. The statistic also accumulates tests not carried out over the Christmas holidays when there was a lull in testing. The 7-day nationwide average for PCR confirmed cases is 1,138, up significantly from the previous week.
Labs carried out 5,858 tests in time for the Sunday, 3 January 2021 report deadline. The 14-day average is a low 3,846. The country can process 10,000 PCR tests a day.
The 4-week positivity rate is 17.64%, continuing the upward trend. The 24-hour positivity for the day is 34.88%, a recent record high. The number of reported active cases is now 39,143, up from the previous day.
One new death is reported for the Sunday, 3 January 2021 deadline, one death has occurred in the previous 24 hours of the deadline.
New restrictive measures are in place as per Decree 740-20 to contain the spread of the disease. From 1 to 10 January 2021, the curfew is from 5pm to 5am, with a two-hour transit window on Monday to Friday. On Saturdays and Sundays, the curfew is set to noon without the two-hour transit period.
Effective 1 to 10 January 2021, restaurants, bars and colmadones (corner grocery store-bars) are only allowed to serve delivery until 11pm. Public parks, boulevard meeting areas and churches are closed. Sports events without public can continue.
The restrictions, nevertheless, do not apply to resorts that operate under different health protocols.
The Ministry of Public Health continues to recommend keeping to the preventive measures. In the cities, mask-wearing is the norm.
The Dominican Republic continues under a National State of Emergency through 15 January 2021. The Presidency has asked Congress to authorize a 45-day extension. Pandemic fatigue, increased mobility and home and friends’ gatherings has led to increased cases in the past month.
In December arrivals from abroad were up and the authorities cautioned those visiting family and friends to adhere to preventive measures. Tourists staying at hotels are also responsible for complying with safety protocols such as wearing masks in public spaces and keeping physical distances and hand hygiene.
By regional standards, the Dominican Republic has been relatively successful at treating Covid-19 and keeping the number of deaths low. For the 3 January 2021 deadline, Worldometer lists the 1M deaths per inhabitant rate for the Dominican Republic at 222. According to the same 1M deaths statistics, fewer people have died of Covid-19 in the Dominican Republic than in Italy at 1,253, Spain at 1,087, the United Kingdom at 1,108, the United States at 1,085, France at 995, Argentina at 958, Brazil at 919, Colombia at 859, Canada at 420 and Germany 421, all major markets for Dominican tourism and countries with notably better health systems.
As per Bulletin #291, with the deadline of 3 January 2021, the Ministry of Public Health has registered 175,374 confirmed cases since the first case on 1 March 2020. Partial curfew has been in place since 18 March 2020.
The number of deaths continues relatively low. As of the 3 January 2021 deadline, 2,419 persons are reported to have died of the disease in the Dominican Republic, a nation of more than 10.5 million people. The fatality rate is 1.38% over the past four weeks. This rate has been consistently dropping for the past five months. The fatality rate per 1M inhabitants is 231.52. Dominican treatment for the disease has been relatively successful in the region. The Ministry of Public Health reports that the country’s 231 fatality rate per 1M compares favorably to the average 1M inhabitants’ fatality rate for the Americas at 844.
The Ministry of Public Health report #291 indicates 40% of Covid-19 hospital beds are occupied (1,030 of 2,615 total available), a slight drop from the previous day. 54% of the intensive care units for Covid-19 are taken (270 of 501 beds), up from the previous day.
The past 14 days bulletin results are:
Bulletin #291: 175,374 confirmed cases, 2,043 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, one death is reported for the deadline, with one happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.38%, fatality rate per 1M is 231.52.
Bulletin #290: 173,331 confirmed cases, 366 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, two deaths are reported for the deadline, with one happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.40%, fatality rate per 1M is 231.42.
Bulletin #289: 172,965 confirmed cases, 747 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, no deaths are reported for the deadline, with one happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.40%, fatality rate per 1M is 231.23.
Bulletin #288: 172,218 confirmed cases, 1,433 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, five deaths are reported for the deadline, with one happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.41%, fatality rate per 1M is 231.04.
Bulletin #287: 170,785 confirmed cases, 1,206 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, four deaths are reported for the deadline, with none happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.42%, fatality rate per 1M is 230.56.
Bulletin #286: 169,579 confirmed cases, 1,314 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, four deaths are reported for the deadline, with none happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.42%, fatality rate per 1M is 230.56.
Bulletin #285: 168,265 confirmed cases, 860 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, one death is reported for the deadline, with none happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.43%, fatality rate per 1M is 230.18.
Bulletin #284: 167,405 confirmed cases, 641 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, no deaths are reported for the deadline, with none happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.44%, fatality rate per 1M is 230.08.
Bulletin #283: 166,764 confirmed cases, 824 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, no deaths are reported for the deadline, with none happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.44%, fatality rate per 1M is 230.08.
Bulletin #282: 165,940 confirmed cases, 905 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, no deaths are reported for the deadline, none happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.45%, fatality rate per 1M is 230.08.
Bulletin #281: 165,035 confirmed cases, 1,381 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, no death is reported for the deadline, one is reported happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.46%, fatality rate per 1M is 230.08.
Bulletin #280: 163,654 confirmed cases, 1,158new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 3 deaths are reported for the deadline, three happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.47%, fatality rate per 1M is 230.08.
Bulletin #279: 162,496 confirmed cases, 566 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 3 deaths are reported for the deadline, none happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.48%, fatality rate per 1M is 229.79.
Bulletin #278: 161,930 confirmed cases, 878 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 13 deaths are reported for the deadline, none happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.48%, fatality rate per 1M is 229.51.
Greater Santo Domingo continues to lead in the number of reported PCR cases. As of 3 January 2021 at 6pm, the deadline for Bulletin #291, the most confirmed cases have been reported in the National District (48,673) and the Santo Domingo province (35,188). The numbers account for almost 47% of the 175,374 confirmed cases nationwide.
Other provinces with more than 500 cases are: Santiago (18,377), La Vega (7,160), La Altagracia (6,399), San Cristóbal (5,649), La Romana (5,347), Puerto Plata (5,294), Duarte (5,180), Espaillat (3,361), Monseñor Nouel (2,775), San Juan de la Maguana (2,632), Sánchez Ramírez (2,464), Barahona (2,250), Azua (2,217), San Pedro de Macoris (2,160), Maria Trinidad Sánchez (1,841), Peravia (1,589), Hermanas Mirabal (1,302), Valverde (1,291), Baoruco (1,077), Independencia (801), Santiago Rodriguez (800), Monte Plata (745), San José de Ocoa (673), Samaná (627), El Seibo (598), Pedernales (576), Dajabón (562) and Hato Mayor (552). Elías Piña province, on the border with Haiti, is the only province to register less than 500 cases. Elías Piña reports 271 cases for the 3 January 2021 deadline.
The Ministry indicates that the newest allocated cases (more than 9) reported for 3 January 2021 update deadline are: National District (732), Santiago (320), Santo Domingo (299), Puerto Plata (165), La Vega (116), La Altagracia (99), María Trinidad Sánchez (54), Duarte (36), La Romana (29), San Cristobal (26), Peravia (22), Espaillat (22), San Pedro de Macorís (19), San Juan de la Maguana (18), Monseñor Nouel (13) and Sánchez Ramírez (10).
Haiti reports 10,127 confirmed cases and 236 deaths, for the 3 January 2021 deadline. Covid-related deaths in Haiti have only increased by four since 26 October, reflecting the database is not being maintained.
In the Americas, the Dominican Republic is now ranked 11th in confirmed cases after the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Canada, Panama 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
Our World in Data
SICA
4 January 2021