Another 13 people die from COVID-19 in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico woke up this Sunday to 13 new deaths from COVID-19 that brought the total number of fatalities since the start of the pandemic to 1,445, while 736 new confirmed positive cases were reported, the Health Department.

According to the agency, nine of the deaths that occurred between Dec. 11 and Dec. 23 were described as confirmed, while four are likely.

New Confirmed Deaths:

• 52-year-old man from the Arecibo region
• 69-year-old male from the Caguas region
• 86-year-old man from the Bayamón region
• 69-year-old woman from the Caguas region
• 42-year-old man from the Metro region
• 85-year-old man from the Metro region
• 52-year-old woman from the Metro region
• 56-year-old man from the Fajardo region
• 59-year-old man from the Metro region

Likely New Deaths:

• 51-year-old man from the Fajardo region
• 60-year-old woman from the Bayamón region
• 82-year-old man from the Fajardo region
• 77-year-old woman from the Arecibo region

“The change in the number of deaths should not be interpreted as if it happened in the last 24 hours. Likewise, it is important to point out that the death report can vary, to the extent that the processes of registration and codification of causes of death take place, which can take several days, ” the agency quotes in a press release.

In addition to the 736 new confirmed cases, Salud registered a further 75 probable cases and 840 suspected cases. Given that the total number of confirmed cases is 69,265 while the likely number is 3,962. The universe of suspected cases totals 54,571.

Meanwhile, the number of patients hospitalized for the virus was 445, of which 88 are in an intensive care unit and 85 are connected to a ventilator. To date, the country’s hospitals have 248 intensive care beds and 838 adult artificial respirators.

According to the agency, the term confirmed positive case refers to infections whose result has been validated by a PCR (molecular) test. The likely case is one whose disease positive result was obtained by antigen testing. Meanwhile, suspected cases, also known as antibody results, are those that have a positive serological test and no positive molecular or antigen test.

In addition, the agency explained that a death confirmed by COVID-19 corresponds to the death of a person with one or more positive molecular tests. Probable death is the death of a patient who was diagnosed with COVID-19 through an antigen test or whose clinical picture meets the criteria to believe he had COVID-19 but never had a molecular or antigen test to detect it virus. Suspicious death, meanwhile, refers to the death of a person in which a specific antibody is detected in serum, plasma, or through a serological test using their blood.