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The Clusters of the Pandemic in Costa Rica

Visualization by Rigoberto Carvajal.

Visualization by Rigoberto Carvajal.

A burst of social gatherings in San Carlos de Alajuela, in June, originated a chain of COVID-19 contagion that reached 151 people.

This “social” type of cluster was the biggest one recorded during the first four months of the pandemic in the country, between March and the beginning of June, when the authorities could still track the majority of transmissions.

Within that period, the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the cause of the COVID-19 illness) spread in 147 clusters that could be traced to workplaces and informal settlements (precarious, according to the details provided by the Ministry of Health).

In July, the number of patients soared and the Ministry of Health acknowledged it couldn’t track all the links of transmission. Since the first case was confirmed, on March 6, until September 15, the country had a total of 58,137 cases. On July 10, the delay in follow-up reached 65 percent and no detailed updates have been provided.

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