The Ministry of Public Health’s Epidemiology Department Coronavirus Bulletin #314 reports 1,150 new PCR cases for the Tuesday, 26 January 2021 deadline. The cases compare to the 7-day nationwide average for PCR confirmed cases that is 1,333.
The number of PCR-confirmed cases is at 207,455 for the 26 January bulletin. Labs carried out 5,020 first PCR tests. The number of tests compares with the 14-day average, 4,305. The country can process 14,000 PCR tests a day. The government says sufficient PCR tests are available. Nevertheless, private lab capacity is pressed by the increased demand for tests from the public.
Testing capacity is pressed by new international travel requirements. Canada is requiring all entering that country to show negative results of a PCR test carried out within 72 hours prior to the traveler’s scheduled departure to Canada. The US is accepting travelers show antigen or PCR tests that must be taken within 72 hours prior to the arrival to US territory.
The 4-week positivity rate is 21.35%, on a downward trend after the increase in cases following the Christmas holidays. The 24-hour positivity for the day is 22.91%, down from the previous day. The number of reported active cases is now 54,072, up from the previous day, and a new record high.
Fifteen new deaths are reported for the Tuesday, 26 January 2021 deadline, none occurring in the previous 24 hours of the deadline. The authorities register 2,579 Covid-19-related deaths since March 2020. Epidemiology director, Dr. Ronald Skewes explained on 26 January that there are delays in registering the Covid-19 deaths because these need to be approved by the Pan American Health Organization prior to their recording. He also explained regional centers sometimes delay a week to report the deaths. He said the delays in reporting are also because the health centers accumulate cases over the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Restrictive lockdown measures continue in place as per Decree 37-21 to contain the disease’s spread. From 27 January to 8 February 2021, the curfew is from 7pm (up from 5pm) to 5am. There is a three-hour transit window on Monday to Friday (to 10pm, up from 8pm), regardless of whether the day falls on a holiday. On Saturdays 1 and 7 and Sundays 2 and 8 February 2021, the curfew starts at 5pm with a three-hour commute period (until 8pm). This compares to the previous more restrictive shutdown at noon.
Open-air public spaces, such as parks and boulevards, can be used for activities other than social gatherings and always complying with preventive health protocols. Gyms, restaurants and bars are allowed to reopen to 60% of their capacity. A maximum of six persons per table is allowed, among other health protocols. Religious ceremonies are allowed three days a week, as long as they keep within 60% of the capacity of the church and churchgoers must keep their masks on during the service.
Hotels and resorts continue to operate under previously established less restrictive health protocols.
The Ministry of Public Health continues to mandate keeping to the preventive measures of mask-wearing and physical distancing in public spaces and hand hygiene. In the cities, mask-wearing is the norm.
The Dominican Republic continues under a National State of Emergency. Congress authorized a 45-day extension from 12 January 2021 through 26 February. Pandemic fatigue, increased mobility and home and friends’ gatherings have led to increased cases in the past month.
By regional standards, the Dominican Republic has been relatively successful at treating Covid-19 and keeping the number of deaths low. For the 26 January 2021 deadline, Worldometer lists the 1M deaths per inhabitant rate for the Dominican Republic at 236. According to the same 1M deaths statistics, fewer people have died of Covid-19 in the Dominican Republic than in the United Kingdom at 1,496, Italy at 1,438, the United States at 1,315, Spain at 1,215, France at 1,139, Argentina at 1,040, Brazil at 1,027, Colombia at 1,018, Germany 653 and Canada at 514, all major markets for Dominican tourism and countries with notably better health systems.
As per Bulletin #314, with the deadline of 26 January 2021, the Ministry of Public Health has registered 207,455 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 26 January 2021 deadline, 2,579 persons are reported to have died of the disease in the Dominican Republic, a nation of more than 10.9 million people. The fatality rate has kept at 1.24% for the past week. The fatality rate per 1M inhabitants is 246.83. Dominican physicians’ diverse treatment for the disease has been relatively successful in the region. The Ministry of Public Health reports that the country’s 246.83 fatality rate per 1M compares favorably to the average 1M inhabitants’ fatality rate for the Americas at 974.45.
The Ministry of Public Health report #314 indicates 43% of Covid-19 hospital beds are occupied (1,165 of 2,725 total available), down from the previous day. 54% of the intensive care units for Covid-19 are taken (293 of 545 beds), down from the previous day. The hospitalization statistics are for all the country. Hospitalization demand in Greater Santo Domingo, Santiago and other major cities is much higher than the national average.
The past 14 days bulletin results are:
Bulletin #314: 207,455 confirmed cases, 1,150 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 15 deaths are reported for the deadline, and none reported happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.24%, fatality rate per 1M is 246.83.
Bulletin #313: 206,305 confirmed cases, 1,143 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 19 deaths are reported for the deadline, and none reported happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.24%, fatality rate per 1M is 245.39.
Bulletin #312: 205,162 confirmed cases, 1,216 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 14 deaths are reported for the deadline, and none reported happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.24%, fatality rate per 1M is 243.58.
Bulletin #311: 203,946 confirmed cases, 1,439 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 18 deaths are reported for the deadline, and none reported happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.24%, fatality rate per 1M is 242.24.
Bulletin #310: 202,507 confirmed cases, 1,362 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 17 deaths are reported for the deadline, and none reported happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.24%, fatality rate per 1M is 240.51.
Bulletin #309: 201,145 confirmed cases, 1,473 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 14 deaths are reported for the deadline, and none reported happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.24%, fatality rate per 1M is 238.89.
Bulletin #308: 199,672 confirmed cases, 1,549 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 12 deaths are reported for the deadline, and three reported happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.24%, fatality rate per 1M is 237.55.
Bulletin #307: 198,123 confirmed cases, 1,532 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 9 deaths are reported for the deadline, and two reported happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.25%, fatality rate per 1M is 236.40.
Bulletin #306: 196,591 confirmed cases, 1,625 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 13 deaths are reported for the deadline, and three reported happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.25%, fatality rate per 1M is 235.54.
Bulletin #305: 194,966 confirmed cases, 1,848 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, five deaths are reported for the deadline, and one is reported happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.26%, fatality rate per 1M is 234.29.
Bulletin #304: 193,118 confirmed cases, 1,779 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, five deaths are reported for the deadline, and one is reported happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.26%, fatality rate per 1M is 233.24.
Bulletin #303: 191,339 confirmed cases, 2,370 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, no death is reported for the deadline, and none are reported happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.27%, fatality rate per 1M is 232.76.
Bulletin #302: 188,969 confirmed cases, 1,482 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, no death is reported for the deadline, and none are reported happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.29%, fatality rate per 1M is 232.38.
Bulletin #301: 187,487 confirmed cases, 1,104 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, no death is reported for the deadline, and none are reported happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.30%, fatality rate per 1M is 232.38.
Greater Santo Domingo continues to lead in the number of reported PCR cases. As of 26 January 2021 at 6pm, the deadline for Bulletin #314, the most confirmed cases have been reported in the National District (58,145) and the Santo Domingo province (40,466). The numbers account for around 48% of the 207,455 confirmed cases nationwide.
Other provinces with more than 500 cases are: Santiago (23,035), La Vega (8,718), La Altagracia (7,857), Puerto Plata (6,841), San Cristóbal (6,266), La Romana (6,106), Duarte (5,742), Espaillat (4,276), Monseñor Nouel (3,160), San Juan de la Maguana (3,018), Sánchez Ramírez (2,792), Maria Trinidad Sánchez (2,586), San Pedro de Macoris (2,583), Azua (2,415), Barahona (2,378), Valverde (1,915), Hermanas Mirabal (1,805), Peravia (1,741), Baoruco (1,238), Monte Plata (946), Santiago Rodriguez (936), Montecristi (867), Independencia (866), Samaná (756), Dajabón (729), San José de Ocoa (723), El Seibo (700), Pedernales (593) and Hato Mayor (564). Elías Piña province, on the border with Haiti, is the only province to register less than 500 cases. Elías Piña reports 350 cases for the 26 January 2021 deadline.
The Ministry indicates that the newest allocated cases (more than 9) reported for 26 January 2021 update deadline are: National District (199), Santo Domingo (172), Santiago (165), Sánchez Ramírez (80), Valverde (68), La Altagracia (61), La Romana (60), Hermanas Mirabal (54), Puerto Plata (48), Samaná (38), San Cristóbal (32), Espaillat (31), La Vega (26), Elías Piña (24), San Juan de la Maguana (20), Azua (20), Duarte (16) and Baoruco (12).
Haiti reports 11,331 confirmed cases and 243 deaths, for the 26 January 2021 deadline. Covid-related deaths in Haiti have only increased by 11 since 26 October 2020.
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.
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John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center
University of Washington Health Data
University of Oxford Covid Tracker
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27 January 2021