Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - November 2022 / Covid-19 Update

I apologize for the lateness of this report but I have been involved with an art and music festival in Atenas during the last week. This ended yesterday so I am now back home and on our normal routine.

During November, visits to this blog were received from the following 9 countries:

The total number of countries and non-independent jurisdictions from which visits have been received remains at 135. Of this number, 13 are non-independent jurisdictions such as the Isle of Man, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, etc.

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The following is a summary of the weather during November and from April 11, 2022 to November 30, 2022 in the area where we live:

The coldest daytime high temperature, 68ºF (20ºC), occurred on two successive days with almost continuous drizzling rain. It was the second coldest daytime high that we have experienced during all our time in Costa Rica.

In contrast, there was a 5 day period during the month with moderately high temperatures, no rain and relatively low humidity - a sign of the upcoming “dry season” in the Central Valley of Costa Rica.

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Covid-19 Update

The following table updates information which appeared in my blog entry posted on November 6, 2022:

With regard to the Death Rate Trend, the rate has risen by 0.01% in Canada but remains unchanged in Canada and the United States.

If you want to see how some other country is doing in comparison to Costa Rica, then visit the website of Worldometer. Numbers for populations, reported cases and reported deaths can be obtained from that site. All that is then needed is some simple math to calculate the percentage death rate for the other country and the death rate in that country compared to Costa Rica.

Click on images to enlarge.

Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - October 2022 / Covid-19 Update

During October, visits to this blog were received from the following 17 countries:

The total number of countries and non-independent jurisdictions from which visits have been received remains at 135. Of this number, 13 are non-independent jurisdictions such as the Isle of Man, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, etc.

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The following is a summary of the weather for October in the area where we live:

We were mildly sideswiped by hurricane Julia as it crossed Nicaragua late night on October 8 continuing well into the day on October 9. With a few short breaks, we had a steady and persistent drizzle of rain totalling about 2 3/4 inches (~ 70 mm). But, the winds were relatively light. Overall, the situation was not nearly as torrential as in some areas of Nicaragua. 

With the rain from Julia, there was also a lot of fog. The result was a record low daytime high temperature for us during all our time in Costa Rica - a mere 64ºF (17.8°C).

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Covid-19 Update

The following table updates information which appeared in my blog entry posted on October 9, 2022:

With regard to the Death Rate Trend, the rate has fallen by 0.04% in Costa Rica but has risen by 0.01% in Canada. As indicated, the United States remains unchanged.

If you want to see how some other country is doing in comparison to Costa Rica, then visit the website of Worldometer. Numbers for populations, reported cases and reported deaths can be obtained from that site. All that is then needed is some simple math to calculate the percentage death rate for the other country and the death rate in that country compared to Costa Rica.

After a hiatus, Worldometer is again reporting U.S. population numbers, cases per million and deaths per million on the same web page as other Covid data. Thus, unlike the last while, it was not necessary to obtain population data from an unrelated Worldometer web page to determine cases per million and deaths per million for the U.S.

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Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - September 2022 / Covid-19 Update

During September, visits to this blog were received from the following 9 countries, 1 unidentified European country and, for the second time in the last two months, 1 totally unidentified country (Europe, Asia or otherwise):

The total number of countries and non-independent jurisdictions from which visits have been received has risen to 135. Of this number, 13 are non-independent jurisdictions such as Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, etc. The latest country is Guyana located in South America. The visit came from Georgetown, Guyana's capital city.

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The following is a summary of weather for September in the area where we live:

Temperatures during September were moderate and relatively unremarkable. The real story was rainfall. Except for a single day, there was at least some rain every day - ranging from 0.01 inches (25 mm) to over 5 inches. The total rainfall for the month was the most we have ever encountered during any single month since our arrival in Costa Rica in 2011 and, with 3 months to go, the total rainfall this year to the end of September has now exceeded that during the full 12 months of any previous year. 

Despite the amount of rain, most days in September were marked by several hours in the mornings by broken clouds and no rain.

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Covid-19 Update

The following table updates information which appeared in my blog entry posted on September 5, 2022:

With regard to the Death Rate Trend, the rate has risen by 0.01% in Canada, but has fallen by 0.01% in Costa Rica and the United States.

If you want to see how some other country is doing in comparison to Costa Rica, then visit the website of Worldometer. Numbers for populations, reported cases and reported deaths can be obtained from that site. All that is then needed is some simple math to calculate the percentage death rate for the other country and the death rate in that country compared to Costa Rica.

Click on images to enlarge.

Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - August 2022 / Covid-19 Update

During August, visits to this blog were received from the following 9 countries, Hong Kong and 1 unknown country:

The total number of countries and non-independent jurisdictions from which visits have been received remains at 134. Of this number, 13 are non-independent jurisdictions such as Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, etc.

Purely speculative, but perhaps the unknown country was somebody on an aircraft using a satellite connection with the internet.

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The following is a summary of weather for August in the area where we live:

The hottest temperature during the month was on August 1 (87°F / 30.6°C) and this was higher than any day in July. However, it was not uncomfortable. The humidity was only 36%. This is unlike the Pacific and Caribbean coasts where temperatures can be much the same as the interior of Costa Rica but with uncomfortably high humidities. At our elevation in the interior we have found absolutely no need for indoor heating or air conditioning.

With regard to rainfall, there were a number of days where we got deluges. But they were usually short lived and normally in the afternoon. Where we live, a typical "green season" day begins with broken clouds lasting till about noon. With or without rain, the sky becomes overcast in the afternoon. Mornings are the best time to get shopping or other things done.

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Covid-19 Update

The following table updates information which appeared in my blog entry posted on August 8, 2022:

With regard to the Death Rate Trend, the rate has fallen by 0.02% in Costa Rica and the United States but, as indicated, remains unchanged in Canada.

If you want to see how some other country is doing in comparison to Costa Rica, then visit the website of Worldometer. Numbers for populations**, reported cases and reported deaths can be obtained from that site. All that is then needed is some simple math to calculate the percentage death rate for the other country and the death rate in that country compared to Costa Rica.

** On its Covid web page, Worldometer continues not to provide numbers for the U.S. population, cases per million, or deaths per million. However it does report total cases and total deaths. As well, on a web page unrelated to Covid, it reports on the U.S. population. In the above table, the U.S. cases per million and deaths per million were calculated from the total cases and total deaths as reported on its Covid web page and the U.S. population as reported on its unrelated web page.

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Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - June 2022 / Covid-19 Update

During June, visits to this blog were received from the following 9 countries:

The total number of countries and non-independent jurisdictions from which visits have been received remains at 134. Of this number, 13 are non-independent jurisdictions such as the Isle of Man, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, etc. Seven countries are less than average.

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The following is a summary of weather for the month in the area where we live:

The green season continues. June was the second month in a row where we received at least some rain on 28 days of the month. However, most days began with relatively sunny mornings and did not become overcast until late morning or early afternoon.

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Covid-19 Update

The following table updates information which appeared in my blog entry posted on June 9, 2022:

Since my last post, the death rate in the United States is down 0.03%. That in Canada and Costa Rica remains unchanged.

If you want to see how some other country is doing in comparison to Costa Rica, then visit the website of Worldometer. Numbers for populations, reported cases and reported deaths can be obtained from that site. All that is then needed is some simple math to calculate the percentage death rate for the other country and the death rate in that country compared to Costa Rica.

Click on images to enlarge.

Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - May 2022 / Covid-19 Update

 During May, visits to this blog were received from the following 7 countries:

The total number of countries and non-independent jurisdictions from which visits have been received remains at 134. Of this number, 13 are non-independent jurisdictions such as the Isle of Man, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, etc. Seven countries are less than average.

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May is the first full month that we were settled in San Roque de Grecia. Here is a summary of the weather for the month and a summary from the day we arrived until month end:

Compared to May 2021 when we lived in Hacienda El Paseo (a short distance southwest of Grecia), the average overnight low temperature in San Roque was about 1.5°F (0.83°C) lower. Somewhat surprisingly and despite being at a significantly higher altitude the average daytime high in San Roque was virtually the same as last year in Hacienda El Paseo.

Rainfall comparisons are a different matter. For us, 25.51 inches (648 mm) in a single month is a record for any month of any year in any place where we have lived and kept records in Costa Rica (firstly Vista Atenas; secondly Hacienda El Paseo; and now San Roque). Also, we have never before encountered 28 days of rain in a single month.

The nice thing about the rain is that on any given day it is often preceded by mornings with light or broken clouds and usually does not begin until early afternoon. Often, it only lasts for 2 or 3 hours or less. This serves to keep everything green and fresh. Thus, we have the so-called green season in Costa Rica.

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Covid-19 Update

The following table updates information which appeared in my blog entry posted on May 6, 2022:

Overall, the death rate in Costa Rica is down 0.05% since my last post. That in the United States is down 0.03% and that in Canada is up 0.01%

If you want to see how some other country is doing in comparison to Costa Rica, then visit the website of Worldometer. Numbers for populations, reported cases and reported deaths can be obtained from that site. All that is then needed is some simple math to calculate the percentage death rate for the other country and the death rate in that country compared to Costa Rica.

If you want more up to date information and statistics on the situation in Costa Rica, including various locales in Costa Rica, then the web site of the Costa Rican Ministry of Health ("Ministerio de Salud") is a good source. If you do not understand Spanish, then you should enable translation features on your web browser if they are available.

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Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - April 2022 / Covid-19 Update

During April, visits to this blog were received from the following 11 countries:

The total number of countries and non-independent jurisdictions from which visits have been received remains at 134. Of this number, 13 are non-independent jurisdictions such as the Isle of Man, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, etc.

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Our move in April from Hacienda El Paseo to San Roque de Grecia (see my blog post on April 23, 2022) has led to two weather summaries for the month:

Hacienda El Paseo is a community in Costa Rica in the canton of Puente de Piedra ("Stone Bridge"), a short distance generally southwest of the city of Grecia. San Roque de Grecia is a short distance generally northeast of Grecia. As the crow flies, the particular location where we now live is about 4.6 miles (7.5 km) from where we lived in Hacienda El Paseo. Our elevation is about 913 feet (278 meters) higher than in Hacienda El Paseo. So, on average we can expect lower temperatures but not temperatures which require indoor heating.

Rainfall comparisons are a bit more problematic. The first three months of 2022 were squarely within the so-called "dry season" in Costa Rica. There were only 3 or 4 days with small amounts of measurable rainfall at Hacienda El Paseo. The same is likely true for San Roque de Grecia. But, all bets are off when it comes to the so-called "green season". 

This year, the rain gods flipped a switch to the green season on April 1. There was measurable rainfall at Hacienda El Paseo every day from April 1 to April 10. On April 11 we moved - so we have no more information from Hacienda El Paseo. But, from San Roque de Grecia, we recorded measurable rainfall on April 15 and on every day from April 21 to April 30. During the remainder of the 2022 green season, it is entirely possible that the recorded rainfall from our location in San Roque de Grecia will be quite different from that which might have been recorded in Hacienda El Paseo. We will never know for sure. But, at the end of this year, we will be able to make comparisons with previous years at Hacienda El Paseo.

As has been indicated in previous posts, Costa Rica is a country of microclimates. Temperatures, temperature averages and rainfall can vary significantly over short distances depending on elevation and geographic location.

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Covid-19 Update

The following table updates information which appeared in my blog entry posted on April 11, 2022:

Overall, the death rate in Canada is down 0.02% since my last post. That in Costa Rica and the United States is unchanged.

If you want to see how some other country is doing in comparison to Costa Rica, then visit the website of Worldometer. Numbers for populations, reported cases and reported deaths can be obtained from that site. All that is then needed is some simple math to calculate the percentage death rate for the other country and the death rate in that country compared to Costa Rica.

Click on images to enlarge.

Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - March 2022 / Covid-19 Update

During March, visits to this blog were received from the following 11 countries:

The total number of countries and non-independent jurisdictions from which visits have been received remains at 134. Of this number, 13 are non-independent jurisdictions such as the Isle of Man, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, etc.

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The following is a summary of weather for the month in the area where we live:

March 2022 had marginally warmer overnight lows and significantly warmer daytime highs than March 2021. The average low was 0.7 °F (0.4 °C) warmer. The average high was 2.6 °F (1.5 °C) warmer. The 3 days with measurable rainfall compares with none in March 2021.

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Covid-19 Update

The following table updates information which appeared in my blog entry posted on March 7, 2022:

Overall, the death rate in Costa Rica is down 0.01% since my last post on this topic. It is 0.04% in Canada and up 0.02% in the U.S.

If you want to see how some other country is doing in comparison to Costa Rica, then visit the website of Worldometer. Numbers for populations, reported cases and reported deaths can be obtained from that site. All that is then needed is some simple math to calculate the percentage death rate for the other country and the death rate in that country compared to Costa Rica.

If you want more up to date information and statistics on the situation in Costa Rica, including various locales in Costa Rica, then the web site of the Costa Rican Ministry of Health ("Ministerio de Salud") is a good source. If you do not understand Spanish, then you should enable translation features on your web browser if they are available.

Click on images to enlarge.

QR Codes, Boosters, and the Covid 19 Situation in Costa Rica

The Tico Times has a recent article on how to go about getting your QR code in Costa Rica. We have our QR codes and we had them printed onto plasticized cards about the size of a credit card, using this company in our town of Grecia:

It was so easy - we sent our information via e-mail to Imprenta Grecia and picked the cards up a few days later. Cost: C5,000 per card (about $10 CAD). With the card, it makes showing that one is fully vaccinated very easy. Then, if we go to a restaurant or any other place which requires proof of vaccination, all we have to do is flash our card and allow them to scan our cards.

We also received our booster shots last Friday. How did we know when and where we needed to go for these? Facebook! I belong to quite a few Costa Rican Facebook pages and these are invaluable sources of information. Members freely share information and this link for vaccination shots was posted. By looking for our town - Grecia (page 7) - we learned where the boosters would be given and at what times. Salón Parroquial is right across from the Catholic church.

People also shared the wait times they experienced and based on this we opted to wait until the second week before attempting to get the boosters. This proved to be a good idea as our wait outside the building was no more then ten minutes. Once we were inside, there were chairs to sit in. Everything was very well organized. Staff take your carné de vacunación (vaccination card) and eventually your name gets called.  I think we sat inside for no more then 45 minutes before receiving our boosters.

In my blog post on December 12 (and as I have done in some earlier posts), I provided a table of numbers from Worldometer with calculations comparing the evolving situation of Covid 19 in Costa Rica with that in Canada and the United States. However, unlike the earlier posts, I did not include any link to where one could go to obtain more comprehensive graphic information unique to Costa Rica. The link had been to a special web page of the La Nacion newspaper, but it appeared that the page was no longer being kept up to date.

It turns out that up to date graphic information the same as or similar to that previously provided by La Nacion can be obtained by going to the web site of the Costa Rican Ministry of Health ("Ministerio de Salud" in Spanish).

Another way to get graphic information not only for Costa Rica but also for many other countries is to Google the phrase "covid 19 graph". At present, a page headed "Coronavirus disease" should then appear. Under the sub-heading "Statistics", a chart showing the evolution of covid cases in a selected country should also appear. The selected country can be changed to any other country which may be desired. For example, the charts for Costa Rica, the United States and Canada are presently as follows:

The information provided by Canada is not as up to date as that provided by Costa Rica and the United States. Nevertheless, like the United States, the number of new cases in Canada appears to be surging whereas the number of new cases in Costa Rica has been steadily dropping towards zero. This may change if the Omicron variant of Covid-19 takes hold in Costa Rica as it has in the United States and Canada. On December 19, the Ministry of Health confirmed detection of the first case in Costa Rica (an 8 year old boy).

As reported by the Tico Times on December 20 the boy and his family had recently travelled to the United States.

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Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - November 2021 / Covid-19 Update

During November, visits to this blog were received from the following 11 countries:

The total number of countries and non-independent jurisdictions from which visits have been received remains at 133. Of this number, 13 are non-independent jurisdictions such as the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, etc.

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The following is a summary of weather for the month in the area where we live:

It seems that a switch was thrown on November 8 - signaling movement from the green season to the dry season. There was at least some rain every day during the first 7 days of the month. In the remaining 23 days, rain occurred on only 6 days with significant rain on only 1 day. The total amount of rainfall in November was the lowest it has been during that month since we moved to Hacienda El Paseo in the Central Valley - much lower than last year when the total was 19.75 inches (502 mm). Dry season trade winds occurred on several days.

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Covid-19 Update

The following table updates information which appeared in my blog entry posted on November 7, 2021:

Since my last post, the death rates in Canada and the United States have each dropped (by 0.2 percentage points). Conversely, that in Costa Rica has risen by 0.02 percentage points.

If you want to see how some other country is doing in comparison to those listed, then visit the website of Worldometer. Numbers for populations, reported cases and reported deaths can be obtained from that site. All that is then needed is some simple math to calculate the percentage death rate for the other country and the death rate in that country compared to Costa Rica.

Click on images to enlarge.