COVID-19 in Puerto Rico: Eight new deaths and 206 confirmed cases

He Health Department reported eight additional deaths COVID-19, while 206 new confirmed positive cases, 24 probable positive cases and 209 presumptive positive cases were registered.

With the new deaths occurring between December 10, 2020 and January 3, 2021, the death toll from the virus has risen to 1,570 since the start of the pandemic.

New deaths reported:

-89-year-old woman from Bayamón region

-66 year old male from Bayamón region

-67 year old woman from the region of Aguadilla

-93-year-old male from the Metro region

-72-year-old woman from the Bayamón region

90-year-old woman from the Bayamón region

-80 year old male from Caguas region

-61 year old male from the Ponce region

According to health, the total number of confirmed cases was estimated to be 74,756, while the probable cases are 4,856. The number of suspected cases is 57,402.

The agency adjusted the total number of confirmed cases after adding 92 cases before the December 21 date. Likewise, the total of probable cases was adjusted after 29 cases remained with a positive molecular test.

Salud also corrected the total number of suspected cases by subtracting 40 cases with a positive molecular test and adding 12 cases before the December 21 date.

Meanwhile, the number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 has dropped to 417, of which 64 are in an intensive care unit and 73 are connected to a ventilator. A pediatric patient is also intensive, according to statistics.

To date, the country’s hospitals have 235 intensive care beds and 845 ventilation equipment available for adults.

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 stated that a death confirmed by COVID-19 equates to a person’s death 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.