2020News

Coronavirus Covid-19 Bulletin #264/ 7 December 2020

The Ministry of Public Health’s Epidemiology Department Coronavirus Bulletin #264 reports 492 new PCR confirmed cases. The 7-day nationwide average for PCR confirmed cases is 761. No deaths were reported for the 7 December 2020 deadline.

Labs carried out 3,969 first PCR tests in time for the Monday, 7 December 2020 report deadline. The 14-day average is 5,289. The country can process 10,000 PCR tests a day. The 4-week positivity rate is 12.42%, down slightly. The 24-hour positivity is up to 12.40%. The number of reported active cases is up slightly again, this time to 29,479.

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. The Ministry of Public Health is carrying out corporate and shopping mall testing operations to reach out to the general population and catch asymptomatic 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. On weekends, resorts and public beaches are 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.

Meanwhile, the government extended the evening curfew from 2 December to 22 December 2020.

As per Bulletin #264, with the deadline of 7 December 2020, the Ministry of Public Health has registered 149,630 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 7 December bulletin, 2,347 persons had died in the Dominican Republic, a nation of more than 10 million people. The fatality rate is 1.57% over the past four weeks. This rate has been consistently dropping for the past two months. The fatality rate per 1M inhabitants is 224.63. Dominican treatment for the disease has been relatively successful in the region. The Ministry of Public Health reports that the country’s 224 fatality rate per 1M compares favorably to the average 1M inhabitants’ fatality rate for the Americas at 725.

For the 7 December 2020 deadline, Worldometer lists the 1M deaths per inhabitant rate for the Dominican Republic at 215. According to the same 1M deaths statistics, fewer people have died of Covid-19 in the Dominican Republic than in Italy at 1,014, Spain at 998, the United Kingdom at 912, the United States at 883, Argentina at 882, France at 862, Brazil at 836, Colombia at 746 and Canada at 339, all major markets for Dominican tourism.

The Ministry of Public Health report #264 keeps an upward trend for hospitalization units. 29% of Covid-19 hospital beds are occupied (840 of 2,831 total available), up from the previous day. 44% of the intensive care units for Covid-19 are taken (197 of 450 beds), also up slightly from the previous day.

The past 14 days bulletin results are:

Bulletin #264: 149,630 confirmed cases, 492 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, one death is reported for the deadline, while no deaths are reported happening in the past 24 hours. The fatality rate is 1.57%, fatality rate per 1M is 224.63.

Bulletin #263: 149,138 confirmed cases, 685 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, one death is reported for the deadline, while no deaths are reported happening in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.57%, fatality rate per 1M is 224.53.

Bulletin #262: 148,453 confirmed cases, 798 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, zero deaths are reported in the past 24 hours, none in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.58%, fatality rate per 1M is 224.43.

Bulletin #261: 147,655 confirmed cases, 975 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 2 deaths are reported, none in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.59%, fatality rate per 1M is 224.43.

Bulletin #260: 146,680 confirmed cases, 671 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 8 deaths are reported, none in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.60%, fatality rate per 1M is 224.24.

Bulletin #259: 146,009 confirmed cases, 812 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 1 death is reported, none in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.60%, fatality rate per 1M is 223.48.

Bulletin #258: 145,197 confirmed cases, 895 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 2 deaths are reported, none in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.61%, fatality rate per 1M is 223.38.

Bulletin #257: 144,302 confirmed cases, 314 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 2 deaths are reported, none in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.62%, fatality rate per 1M is 223.29.

Bulletin #256: 143,988 confirmed cases, 515 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 1 deaths are reported, none in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.62%, fatality rate per 1M is 223.09.

Bulletin #255: 143,473 confirmed cases, 820 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, 2 deaths are reported, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, two in the past 24 hours, fatality is 1.68%, fatality rate per 1M is 220.89.

Greater Santo Domingo continues to lead in the number of reported PCR cases. As of 7 December at 6pm, the deadline for Bulletin #264, the most confirmed cases have been reported in the National District (39,061) and the Santo Domingo province (30,658). The numbers account for almost 47% of the 149,630 confirmed cases nationwide.

Other provinces with more than 500 confirmed cases are: Santiago (15,545), La Vega (5,814), La Altagracia (5,364), San Cristóbal (5,246), La Romana (5,001), Duarte (4,498), Puerto Plata (4,158), Espaillat (3,050), San Juan de la Maguana (2,368), Monseñor Nouel (2,355), Sánchez Ramírez (2,195), Barahona (2,156), Azua (2,111), San Pedro de Macoris (1,924), Peravia (1,394), Maria Trinidad Sánchez (1,392), Hermanas Mirabal (1,125), Valverde (1,067), Baoruco (990), Independencia (747), Santiago Rodriguez (733), Monte Plata (643), San José de Ocoa (620), Samaná (574), El Seibo (563) and Pedernales (560).

Haiti reports 9,399 confirmed cases and 233 deaths, for the 6 December 2020 deadline. The number of deaths for Haiti has only increased by one case since 26 October, reflecting the database is not being maintained.

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

8 December 2020