COVID-19

YEs you are so correct. We are not seeing the true picture. AND way too many just look and see cases dropping and nothing more.

Agreed, these figures just can't be believed.

I really hope you're right about the new administration.  Something must happen and now.

We wait with "hopeful" breath.

WE all do honey.  Thanks.

Is there any data for Punta Cana/Bavaro area?  All the numbers I see on few of the newspapers I've read, don't show any cases in that area.   Or is that part of the Altagracia?

Part of the Altagracia

For every 100,000 inhabitants La Altagracia is the second province most affected by coronavirus

This was the case for La Altagracia as reported in the press and in this thread on 29th July!

Bulletin #148

Total cases                     84488    Increase    1354
Total deaths                     1409    Increase        16
Total recovered             49539   Increase      1593
Total active                    33540    Decrease      255
Total tests                     313291    Increase     5104      Day positivity    26.5%

Spread of new cases:

DN                                         360
Azua                                          5
Baoruco                                   35
Dajabon                                     3
Duarte                                      54
Elias Pina                                   1
Espaillat                                     5
Independencia                         1
La Altagracia                            43
La Romana                               14
La Vega                                      62
Maria TS                                     18
Peravia                                         2
Puerto Plata                              48
Hermanas M                              5
Samana                                       1
San Cristobal                             58
San Juan                                     17
SPM                                             20
Sanchez Ramirez                       24
Santiago                                      245
Santiago Rodriguez                  40
Monsenor N                               16
Hato Mayor                                  4
San Jose                                       33
Santo Domingo                         155
Not Specified                              85

POP has 39.7% positivity for those 48 new cases. It is for sure a hot spot now and perhaps imported cases involved mixing with locals!

Bulletin #149

Total cases                85545     Increase      1057
Total deaths                1438     Increase           29
Total recovered        51356     increase      1817
Total active                  32751   Decrease       789
Total tests                 317643    Increase      4352       Day positivity   24.3%

Spread of new cases

DN                                       277
Azua                                      26
Baoruco                                 1
Barahona                              10
Dajabon                                 31
Duarte                                    42
El Seibo                                   4
Espaillat                                 18
Independencia                     33                             
La Altagracia                         24
La Romana                            15
La Vega                                   43
Maria TS                                 15
Peravia                                     4
Puerto Plata                           33
Hermanas M                           4
Samana                                    1
San Cristobal                           11
San Juan                                   5
SPM                                          18
Sanchez Ramirez                     5
Santiago                                   216
Santiago R                                 1
Monsenor N                             10
Hato Mayor                               8
San Jose                                    17
Santo Domingo                      175
Not Specified                            10

In my pea sized brain, I keep watching to see the daily cases drop below 1,000 to consider returning

No such thing in sight yet.....

May I ask where in Canada you are...heading back to ON  inSep (quarantine 14 days - paid by the government - then visit with family) then back to AB in Oct..

And the figures cannot be believed anyhow.

I would sit tight for a few months as this is far from over, not just in DR but almost everywhere.

At least where you are you've got good medical care.  That's why I left.

2VPsoldier wrote:

May I ask where in Canada you are...heading back to ON  inSep (quarantine 14 days - paid by the government - then visit with family) then back to AB in Oct..

PM sent............

Hey  what happened?  No more stats??? We have come to rely on them.

PCR tests remain suspended in Santo Domingo hospitals

The Dr. Francisco Moscoso Puello hospital, the last tests taken were on August 7

https://listindiario.com/la-republica/2 … to-domingo

I have suspended posting the daily MoH reports which have seemed at odds with what is being reported elsewhere. You can find those reports at the MOH Faceboofk site daily at about 11am.

On the one hand the MoH reports now show very high positivities in the provinces and yet the daily numbers and day positivity show a different story along with large daily recovered numbers and drop in reported active cases.

The past Minister did say in one of his daily bulletins about two weeks back that he thought there should be more recovered cases, and sure enough after that there were more recovered and cases and less day positivities down from high numbers.

And then we have the reported cessation of testing at hospitals and long result delays everywhere.

Now we have a new government and new Minister and let's hope they introduce a plan to test more widely so we all know the spread of this virus and then track and trace.

Right now I belive we are blind to the reality and new relaible numbers are needed.

By the way POP looks to have a growing problem now. But that might be the case as was 2 weeks back!

Okay thanks for the update.

Testing and positivity

Without widespread testing, and quick access to results for tracking and tracing, and a knowledge of the actual current positivities in communities, the incoming authorities are in the dark as to the extend of the spread and viral load of covid19 throughout the country. And so, developing policies to contain and reduce the spread of the virus become fraut withdifficulties .

The daily MoH reports on the current state of the virus have become less and less meaningful to me over the past couple of weeks and to demonstrate this, I post the link of yesterdays report below:

https://es-la.facebook.com/SaludPublica … mp;theater

This report presents inconsistencies on positivity which is a key indicator:

On the first page of the report we are told that for the day of 16th August 2020 we had 428 cases from 2407 tests or a day positivity of 17.8%. but on that same first page they state that the postivity for the last 4 weeks is 31.33%.

Now go to page 2 and in the 6th column we see the positivity for all 32 provinces plus 'not specified'.  The lowest positivity in that column is 24.46% in District Nacional and all other have positivities up to 92.13. This is where the 31.33% comes from apparently.

Then we have the testing debacle. Some hospitals have stopped testing and have results outstanding for several weeks. The national laboratory has queues awaiting testing and long waits for results. Yet in other regions there are few tests. Private labs are working and that perhaps reflects the low day positivity with people and employers who pay getting checked.

All in all it appears chaotic and the real spread is unclear and what we read daily may be a mix of results from 2 weeks ago along with private lab results from recently.

This surely has to change quickly with the new authorities such that the testing is widespread in all provinces with say 0.05% of the population there being tested daily with quick results. Historic results need to be archived to the totals being of little use today to control the current spread with isolate, track and trace. The infected of two weeks ago have spread enough already and those that got infected by them spreead more.

Until there is a better testing regime and real transparency, we all must assume the worst and that includes government. IMO curfews and more tougher measures should be here for the immediate future until real progress is evident.

Don't be naive and believe that the positivity has dropped so quickly to 17.8% nor the headline drop to 428 cases.

Yes, so true Lennoxnev - appreciated the very much the insights and the reporting. I agree, private Labs around the country are very busy. I see at least three here in Moca with lineups. My wifes daughter manages one. We all, her sister and daughter from Canada and several immediate family members all had the test done and we had the results within an hour, including printed reports. The government should,if they do not already, make it compulsory for all labs to report every day at the end of the day their results. That would mean of course, having more people working to receive, record and collate daily data. Of course, as we all know and agree, the problem still remains in all areas outside those locations where folks can access any testing, government run or private lab. This new government has much to grasp, decide what to do and enforce - to achieve their end goals....those that will effectively  help the people and the economy. Regrettably one or the other or both are still going to be adversely affected.

We can read your well thought out and well written review and agree with you.  I appreciate what you have done. MOST however look at current numbers posted widely on social media and believe what they want to believe. They cannot  or will not see the reality of the situation.

The previous gov't lost control of this. They  did not continue to even try.

now the current gov't needs to quickly STEP up and get control of this.   Lets see what happens next!

I should have that a high level of positivity - and that is anything over 10% - should result in an increase in spead and more active cases.

But in DR we get a reduction of active cases when the positivity is consistently very high.

Have we read the 'Herd Immunity' theory in the reports ?

I was not a fan of this idea but NYC has seen a drop after a huge case count...
and it seems to be staying low

We can only hope the same for Rep Dom

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/17/heal … unity.html

NYC did not have  herd immunity, they had shut down,  tracing and isolation!

As I read it, they're saying they might have now
Along with Mumbai and other communities

A more sobering read and reality check on herd immunity today:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/08/18/covid-herd-immunity-not-yet-coronavirus-vaccine-needed-column/5600866002/

Don't count on herd immunity for COVID-19 yet. A vaccine is the best way to get there.

Infection-acquired COVID immunity in Chelsea, Massachusetts won’t do much to protect people in Chelsea, Manhattan, let alone people in Chelsea, London.

The whole issue is to far too politicised. A clear message on how to live with covid19 is being diluted by all this press rambling rather than relying on thorough medical peer reviewed research.

Herd immunity is a dream even for Sweden where the government has experimented on its sparsely populated country with low urbanisation and had a much higher than normal death rate, high infection rates per head of population, continuing daily new cases without end in sight and no herd immunity if it really exists for more than a few months per person.

People need to follow the basic sanitary measures recommended by health authorities  and hope for an effective safe  vaccine, and even then life will need to be different for a very long time.

No new measures were announced to control the spread of covid19 by the new government this morning.

In short...

The curfews remain as at present and they plan to enforce the curfew and mask use more rigorously.

They plan more testing with regional centres.

They plan more medics, beds and medical supplies. insurance issues too.

They need to test more and better to see the extent of the problem first. Testing, tracking and tracing has been an achillies heel of recent.

https://hoy.com.do/el-toque-de-queda-se … -momentos/https://listindiario.com/la-republica/2 … l-covid-19

A consensus and a voluntary community approach is being sought. Not so easy with Dominicans imo.

Planner - any comment from the government on the backlog of test results?

I have seen nothing on the backlog at all.  I assume they are working to clear it out.

A 14 day quarantine remains in place for anyone flying into Canada from any other country. The border with the U.S. remains locked down thru the end of September and it is likely to remain closed thru the end of 2020. Canada has 123,000 cases of Covid and 9000 deaths at this time. The virus is under control with the province of British Columbia leading the country, having flattened the curve and enacted social distancing and  mandatory mask wearing on mass transit.

Canadians in general are increasingly seen wearing masks in grocery stores and public places, even though there is little covid in the communities. The economy is operating at almost full capacity in B.C. and job losses are being recovered in a V shape. We know that the new normal will continue to include masks, small gatherings and social distancing to name a few. The provincial gov't continues to provide firm guidance and instruction on a daily basis as we approach school openings in September. Our provincial Health Care Specialist ,Dr. Bonnie Henry, has steered this leaky craft thru turbulent waters.

To the south of B.C., our neighbour, the state of Washington, continues to struggle to contain the virus. Canadians remain cautious....

Yes - that is good. And the Cdn government will send you to designated hotel, pay the bill and provide 3 meals a day for 14 day quarantine - if you have no place to safely quarantine.....I'll be doing that when I arrive in Toronto in Sept before going to relatives and then flying back to Alberta. Certainly sounds safer up there...and I hope the job market improves.....

Going to sister and brother-in-laws place in Fenlon Falls near Lindsay ON after quarantine. Have items I need to pick up before heading west. Everyone is the age of concern if they catch the virus and there is no safe quarantine place for me.

Makes sense. Good decision....

Another  886 cases with positivity still over  30%.  Looks like we are back to some  standardized responses and testing. Over  4,000 tests  reported.

The spread is a bit of a mess though,  too many areas reporting zeros so I am thinking they are not back up to speed everywhere.

This story is featured today on the front page of www.cbc.ca.

Canada·CBC Investigates

Government has spent $37M so far on hotels for returning Canadians who can't self-isolate at home

More than 3,000 returning travellers have been quarantined at taxpayers' expense
Tara Carman, Albert Leung, Exan Auyoung · CBC News · Posted: Aug 20, 2020 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: in 3 hours

Can we keep this thread please to the DR. I  do want to read about other countries but not unless it specifically applies to DR.

We can use one of the other  threads to talk about other countries.  Thanks!

Si senorita.....

Now that was nice.....  been a while since I heard senorita.....

Bask in it Planner

In some communities, that is the sign of attractiveness...

You could have 3 marriages and 8 children behind you
But
If they deem you attractive..... Senorita

Call a 30-35 yr old Senora... and either duck or run... or both
Indicates ‘over the hill’

I used it once on a nurse... a bit heavy, a bit old.... but she had a needle in her hand

Cuidate senorita....

She blushed and turned to the medic.... You hear that !! Senorita !!

In didn’t feel a thing

Hahahaha great story!   And no worries I am basking honey.

Just returned from Punta Cana area.

Airport checking covid tests on arrival with my flight the majority of people came with test. My friend, who flew in later mentioned only half the people did.

Side note - Uber was approved in the area.

From Dominican Today

In the Dominican Republic, 89,867 confirmed cases (857 new), and 1,533 deaths (28 new) have been reported.

According to bulletin number 155 of Public Health, 7,284 are in hospital isolation, 21,918 in-home isolation, and 59,132 people have recovered.

Two hundred eighty-seven cases are found in the Intensive Care Unit; 45.64% in Greater Santo Domingo centers, 26.83% in Santiago, and 12.89% in Duarte.

The median age of all cases: 38 years, interquartile range 28 to 52 years. 51.27% (46,076) are men and 68.67% (61,710) of the cases are concentrated in 12 municipalities.

Two hundred sixty-eight health workers positive for COVID19 have been notified, of which 64.55% (173) correspond to the female sex.

In the last four weeks, the positivity of the processed samples is 30.63%.

As of August 20, 2020, 1,533 deaths have been reported. By place of residence, 75.86% (1,163) of the deceased correspond to 12 municipalities.

The median age of the deceased is 68 years, interquartile range from 54 to 77 years. 65.91% (992) are men. Comorbidities of the fatalities: arterial hypertension (33.72%) and diabetes (21.92%).

https://es-la.facebook.com/SaludPublica … mp;theater

No consistency in daily numbers these days.

Large number in La Romana today, a jump in Samana and only 90 in Santo Domingo.