While many are afraid and thinking, “Did I pass someone on the street who is infected? Should I go to the emergency room?,” the truth is there are only 13 cases in the whole country and all of them are quarantined.
The general public should take precautions but not be afraid because there is no active transmission in Costa Rica. Even if you have a cough, it is unlikely that it is coronavirus. If you have a fever or have travelled abroad and get sick, you should get checked out.
The Caja, however, is not testing everyone who has respiratory symptoms, only those who fit certain characteristics. So far, only 72 people have had to get tested. Of them, 59 do not have the virus.
8 of the 13 who do have COVID-19 got it by contact with the same man. The man, aged 54, is in delicate condition. The other 12 patients are stable. Some are quarantined in hospitals and others in their homes.