The Ministry of Public Health Coronavirus Bulletin #734 with the deadline of 22 March 2022 reports 105 new cases, up from 122 on the previous day. In the first 22 days of March there have been only six deaths in a population of around 11 million. For seven consecutive days there have been no Covid-19 deaths reported. The death rate is at 0.76%, one of the lowest in the Americas.
The 105 new cases in Bulletin #734 compare to the 7-day nationwide average for confirmed cases that is 96, down from the previous 7-day average that was 98.
The national 4-week positivity rate for the 22 March 2022 Epidemiological Bulletin #734 is at 1.08%, down from the previous day’s 1.15%. The 24-hour positivity for the day is 4.02%. Life is moving back to the old normal.
The positivity rate is now under 9% in all but three of 32 provinces and the National District – Barahona (8.78%), San Pedro de Macorís (3.03%) and Samaná (2.14%). The overall nationwide average positivity is now 1.08%.
The positivity in the National District and provinces of larger populations for Bulletin #734 was: National District 2.18%, Santiago 1.66%, Santo Domingo province 1.05%, Puerto Plata 1.03%, La Vega 0.90%, La Altagracia 0.87%, La Romana 0.80%, San Cristóbal 0.33%, Duarte and Espaillat 0.14%.
As per Bulletin #734, with the deadline of 22 March 2022, the Ministry of Public Health has registered 577,581 PCR or antigen-confirmed cases since the first case on 1 March 2020. Labs carried out 2,613 first-time PCR and antigen tests. This number of tests compares with the 14-day average now at 3,602, up from the previous day. Physicians explain that most of the cases are detected when an asymptomatic person carries out the Covid-19 test as a routine requirement for another medical procedure.
So far, reports are that recent cases reported in the Dominican Republic have been mostly in persons without symptoms or with symptoms of a mild cold. People who have become very sick are usually those who have not been inoculated. Omicron in the Dominican Republic was short-lived (over the Christmas holidays and January).
Since 16 February 2022, when President Luis Abinader announced an end to “all restrictive measures,” the positivity rates for Covid-19 have kept at lows from the days of the start of the pandemic. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Public Health continues to urge everyone to get the booster shot. Vaccines are free and easily obtained, including third and fourth doses.
The Ministry of Public Health in Resolution #0008-2022 recommends the use of masks in mass transportation, educational centers, health centers and in the cases of people with special health conditions or who have the Covid-19. While the wearing of masks is no longer obligatory, many places, including hospitals, maintain the preventive measure and require their staff and customers to do so or not be allowed to enter.
With around 67% of the adult population vaccinated with least two doses of vaccine, and 79% with at least one dose, the population has successfully dealt with the Delta and Omicron variants. A recent University of Yale study attributed the relatively low impact of the Delta and Omicron variants in the country to the widespread vaccination with two Sinovac and the booster shot with Pfizer. The government is recommending those who have two Pfizer to get the Sinovac vaccine, and that those with two Pfizers, get the Sinovac vaccine. Yet another Pfizer shot is also available upon demand at select vaccination centers.
The National Vaccination Plan recommends two a booster shot different from the first two doses to be applied a month after the second dose of the Sinovac vaccine or the AstraZeneca vaccine. A Sinovac vaccine is recommended for those who have two Pfizers, yet a third Pfizer is also available. The fourth vaccine shot is also now available for seniors (60+), front line workers and those with health vulnerabilities who had received the third booster shot six months ago. The general vaccination drive is open to persons five years and older. The Sinovac vaccine is used for the children under 12 years of age.
The Ministry of Public Health director of Collective Health, Dr. Eladio Perez said during the 9 March 2022 press conference that the epidemiological authorities have brigades that are going “house-to-house” to find people that have not been vaccinated and vaccinate them at home.
The record vaccinations for one day is 184,208 on 10 June 2021. For the 23 March 2022 deadline, Our World in Data reports 9,508 first and second dose vaccines were applied. The rolling 7-day average as of 23 March 2022 deadline is at 8,768, up from the previous day.
The Vacunate government website reports injecting 7,176,348 first doses of the vaccine and 5,908,126 second doses as of 22 March 2022 in a country with an adult population of 7.8 million. The government began to vaccinate for the Covid-19 virus on 16 February 2021. For the same 22 March 2022 bulletin deadline, the Ministry of Public Health is reporting that 2,281,447 people had received the third booster shot. The government has ordered all with the first two shots to get the booster shot.
By global standards, the Dominican Republic has been relatively successful at treating Covid-19 and keeping the number of deaths low. For the 22 March 2022 deadline, Worldometer lists the 1M deaths per inhabitant rate for the Dominican Republic at 396. According to the same 1M deaths statistics, fewer people have died of Covid-19 in the Dominican Republic than in Brazil at 3,057, the United States at 2,990, Argentina at 2,777, Colombia at 2,692, Italy at 2,624, the United Kingdom at 2,396, Russia at 2,505, Spain at 2,181, France at 2,155, Germany 1,520 and Canada at 972 all major markets for Dominican tourism and countries with overall better health systems.
No Covid-related deaths was recorded for the 22 March 2022 deadline. No death was reported having occurred in the previous 24 hours of the deadline. As of the 22 March 2022 deadline, 4,375 persons are reported to have died of the disease in the Dominican Republic, a nation of more than 10.8 million adults since March 2020. The fatality rate is at 0.76%. The fatality rate per 1M inhabitants is 418.72. Dominican physicians’ diverse treatment for the disease has been relatively successful in the region. The Ministry of Public Health reports that the country’s 418.72 fatality rate per 1M compares favorably to the average 1M inhabitants’ fatality rate for the Americas at 2,588.21 as of 22 March 2022.
The Ministry of Public Health report #734 confirms the decline in serious cases. The bulletin indicates 5% of Covid-19 public hospital beds are occupied (118 of 2,373 total available), down from the day before. 4% of the intensive care units for Covid-19 are taken (24 of 585), up from the day before. The hospitalization statistics are for all the country. Hospitalization demand in Greater Santo Domingo, Santiago and other major cities is higher than the national average. The hospitals say that most of the patients that require hospitalization had not been vaccinated for Covid-19.
The past seven days bulletin result highlights are:
Bulletin #734: 577,581 confirmed cases, 105 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 442 active cases. No deaths are reported for the deadline, and none in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate per 1M is 418.72.
Bulletin #733: 577,476 confirmed cases, 122 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 427 active cases. No deaths are reported for the deadline, and none in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate per 1M is 418.72.
Bulletin #732: 577,354 confirmed cases, 16 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 338 active cases. No deaths are reported for the deadline, and none in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate per 1M is 418.72.
Bulletin #731: 577,338 confirmed cases, 21 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 529 active cases. No deaths are reported for the deadline, and none in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate per 1M is 418.72.
Bulletin #730: 577,317 confirmed cases, 76 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 576 active cases. No deaths are reported for the deadline, and none in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate per 1M is 418.72.
Bulletin #729: 577,241 confirmed cases, 171 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 577 active cases. No death is reported for the deadline, and none in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate per 1M is 418.72.
Bulletin #728: 576,904 confirmed cases, 166 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 516 active cases. No death is reported for the deadline, and none in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate per 1M is 418.72.
As per the 22 March deadline, there were 42 new cases in Santiago, 17 in the National District, 8 in Azua, La Altagracia and La Romana, 7 in Santo Domingo province, 6 in San Cristóbal, 5 in San José de Ocoa, and 1 in Dajabón, Hermanas Mirabal and La Vega. There were no cases reported in the other 10 provinces.
Greater Santo Domingo leads in the number of reported PCR and antigen cases since the start of the pandemic. As of 22 March 2022 at 6pm, the deadline for Bulletin #734, the most confirmed cases have been reported in the National District (149,784) and the Santo Domingo province (119,211) that represents Greater Santo Domingo, with the country’s highest urban density. The numbers account for 46.5% of the 577,581 PCR and antigen confirmed cases nationwide.
Other province case totals are: Santiago (61,829), Puerto Plata (19,430), La Vega (18,661), La Altagracia (17,879), La Romana (17,847), Espaillat (17,794), San Cristóbal (16,639), Duarte (13,091), Valverde (11,202), San Pedro de Macoris (9,551), San Juan de la Maguana (9,485), Maria Trinidad Sánchez (7,736), Barahona (6,733), Monseñor Nouel (6,338), Azua (6,337), Hermanas Mirabal (6,012), Sánchez Ramírez (5,699), Peravia (5,297), Dajabón (5,000), Montecristi (4,978), Santiago Rodriguez (4,575), Monte Plata (4,311), Baoruco (3,483), Hato Mayor (3,448), San José de Ocoa (2,612), Independencia (2,522), El Seibo (2,069), Samaná (2,033), Pedernales (1,481) and Elías Piña (1,294) as of the 22 March 2022 deadline.
Haiti is reported having 30,511 confirmed cases and 827 deaths, as per the 22 March 2022 global epidemiological deadline. Haiti has progressed very slowly with its Covid-19 vaccination program. Early on, the Haitian government rejected a first Covax facility donation of AstraZeneca vaccines. A donation of Moderna vaccines was shipped to 26 February 2022, 161,164 Haitians (1.4% of the population) had received at least a first dose of the Spikevax (Moderna) vaccine at the 149 open vaccination centers since the start of vaccination on 16 July 2021. Early on, Haiti rejected a donation of 100,000 AstraZeneca vaccines from the Dominican Republic. 110,329 Haitians are fully vaccinated (2 doses, 0.95% of the population) as of the 16 March 2022 update, of a population of more than 11.4 million people. New cold storage capacity donated by Canada will be posted on the border and could help increase the number of Haitians that are vaccinated. The Haitians rejected the Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines, but accepts Pfizer and Moderna. The Pfizer vaccines that are available here for applying to the Haitians need to be kept at ultra-cold temperatures.
Already, hundreds of thousands of Haitians that live and work in the Dominican Republic have been vaccinated here. Most employers in the Dominican Republic have required their employees be vaccinated.
The Dominican government has authorized the vaccinating of Haitians with IDs and domicile in the Dominican Republic, but there is much resistance even among those living in the DR to get vaccinated.
Overall, health experts attribute the general low number of deaths in Haiti 71 per 1M pop compared to 396 per 1M in the DR) as of 22 March 2022 in part is due to widespread vaccinating of babies with the tuberculosis vaccine and widespread use of ivermectin for parasites. Both actions are said to have raised the immunity of the Haitian population in general. In Haiti most people do not wear masks nor exercise physical distancing.
In the Americas, the Dominican Republic is ranked 17th in confirmed cases after the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Bolivia, Ecuador, Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Uruguay and Paraguay.
See the Ministry of Public Health epidemiological
Bulletins
Vacunate
John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center
University of Washington Health Data
University of Oxford Covid Tracker
Worldometer
Our World in Data
24 March 2022