Group of tourists hospitalized with Covid in Costa Rica

Six of the 20 French tourists have been hospitalized.

A group of 20 French tourists tested positive for the coronavirus when traveling through Costa Rica, and six have been hospitalized, the Health Ministry reported.

They are the first known visitors to require treatment for Covid-19 since Costa Rica reopened its air borders last August.

In a brief press release, the Health Ministry says the tourists needing medical attention are at San Juan de Dios Hospital in San José. Their care will be covered by the medical insurance that is mandatory for visitors to Costa Rica.

San Juan de Dios Hospital in San José, Costa Rica. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The tourists entered Costa Rica on January 16 and tested positive a week later. It was not immediately clear if the Europeans were infected in Costa Rica or if one (or more) of them was infected prior to travel.

Neither the Health Ministry nor the Tourism Board have provided more information about the visitors, such as their age or where they were traveling.

In its Tuesday afternoon update, Costa Rica reported 375 Covid-19 hospitalizations, continuing a downward trend that began in late December.

A graph showing Covid-19 hospitalizations in Costa Rica. The orange line represents people in the ICU; the blue represents those in less-critical condition.

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