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PRESS RELEASE

Statistics Institute Publishes Map on Response to the 2020 Census in Puerto Rico

The geographical visualization allows us to see the progress of the response to the Census in municipalities

San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 1, 2020 — The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) reported that they have made available a geographical visualization of the state of self-response to the 2020 Census in the municipalities of Puerto Rico. The visualization shows the different levels of response at the municipal level depending on the questionnaires completed and already received by the Federal Census Bureau. The tool allows you to easily compare the places where the response has been highest or lowest. More importantly, the visualization is updated several times each week, so it serves to monitor the progress of the response to the 2020 Census across Puerto Rico.

The visualization is nourished by self-response data reported periodically in the Federal Census Bureau's main visualization tool. However, since Puerto Rico has a different type of enumeration than other jurisdictions (updating and handing over the questionnaire to every household), the response rate has been different given the COVID-19 scenario. Therefore, at the moment, response values in Puerto Rico cannot be properly differentiated within the categories established in the visualization of the Federal Census. It is for this reason, and in order to be able to compare the progress of the 2020 Census response across Puerto Rico in an appropriate way, that the Institute prepared the geographical visualization available at: censo.estadisticas.pr, which is adjusted based on the values in the municipalities.

At the same time, municipal information of reference and interest was added to this interactive visualization. For example, position compared to other municipalities according to their percentage of self-response, estimated total housing units and percentage of occupied housing. The tool provides motivation, since residents of a municipality with a low response can become aware of this aspect, motivate themselves to do their part and at the same time motivate others to increase the percentage of their respective municipality.

“Field operations are temporarily halted due to the COVID-19 situation. In the case of Puerto Rico, enumerators will continue to deliver questionnaire packages to homes as soon as fieldwork resumes. We call on everyone to respond to the 2020 Census as soon as they receive the invitation. Whether you receive the invitation by post or subsequently by hand delivery to homes, the option to reply via the internet (https://2020census.gov/es.html) allows us to respond safely and quickly,” said Alberto L. Velázquez Estrada, Manager of Statistical Projects.

Census data plays a role in everyday life, as it helps to make decisions about the financing of services and infrastructure in the community, including health care, centers for the elderly, jobs, roads, schools, businesses and political representation. Therefore, they serve as a guide so that communities can obtain the fair funds they need, as well as to support companies to make decisions based on data that encourage the economy. Let's make sure we're all counted!

About the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity tasked with coordinating the government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and accessible quickly and universally. In addition, as the leading entity of the SDC in Puerto Rico, the Institute manages the SDC portal, which contains the main statistical reports and publications of the U.S. Census Bureau about Puerto Rico, specifically those that are most in demand, such as annual population estimates, the Puerto Rico Community Survey (Puerto Rico Community Survey) and official statistics on Puerto Rico's 10-year population and housing censuses, among others. The Puerto Rico SDC portal can be accessed through: https://censo.estadisticas.pr/.

For more information you can visit the website: https://estadisticas.pr.gov/. In addition, you can follow the Institute on social networks, through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

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Press Contact:

Idia Martinez 787-603-3200

imartinez@upfrontpr.net

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Statistics Institute reveals results of the first Human Papillomavirus (HPV) survey conducted in Puerto Rico

San Juan, PR, January 14, 2017 — The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) today announced the results of the Adult Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Survey 2014 the first survey related to the topic carried out by the Institute itself at the level of the population of adult women in Puerto Rico.

It focused mainly on the responses of women aged 18 to 44, which corresponds to the adult population of reproductive age. In addition, it collects information related to the knowledge of this population on important aspects such as the following: The existence of vaccines, the prevalence of vaccinated women, diagnostic knowledge with a virus infection and the regularity of medical tests for the possible detection of the virus.

Here are the main results:

• 89.4 percent of the population of women ages 18 to 44 reported having heard about HPV.
• 93.1 percent of this population recognized that the primary route of HPV transmission is through sexual contact.
• 65.4 percent of this population knows that there is no cure for HPV.
• 66.0 percent of the population of women ages 18 to 34 reported having heard about HPV vaccines.
• 1 in 7 women (14.7 percent) in this population (18 to 34 years old) reported having ever been vaccinated.
• Among this vaccinated population, 50.7 percent obtained the three necessary doses of the vaccine.
• 74.5 percent of the population of women ages 18 to 44 reported having had a Pap smear in the past three years.
• 1 in 39 women (2.6 percent) between 18 and 44 years old mentioned that their doctor had ever told them they had some type of HPV infection.

The final sample size of interviews was 1,138 households. The response rate of the Adult Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Survey 2014 was 97.4 percent, which is equivalent to 1,108 households. Of these interviews, 665 were conducted on cell phones and 443 on fixed line phones.

HPV is one of the world's most important sexually transmitted infections due to its health implications. However, there was no information on the level of knowledge about HPV and the percentage of vaccination against the virus in the population of adult women living in Puerto Rico and the regularity of medical tests for the possible detection of the virus, among others.

One of the functions of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics is to produce its own statistics to complement existing data. To fulfill this function, in 2014, the Institute conducted the Adult HPV Survey for the adult population of men and women in Puerto Rico. This survey was carried out thanks to the collaboration of the Puerto Rico Department of Health's Behavior-Associated Risk Factor Surveillance System (PR‐BRFSS).

In Puerto Rico, the incidence rate of cervical cancer has been increasing. By 2014, Puerto Rico had an age-adjusted rate of 13.9 per 100,000 women. During the period from 2006 to 2014, the first five municipalities with the highest age-adjusted incidence rate of cervical cancer were Sábana Grande (19.4), Aibonito (19.0), Orocovis (18.8), Santa Isabel (18.7) and Lajas (17.2), according to the Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry. For 2009, the age-adjusted incidence rate of cervical cancer in Puerto Rico (12.6) surpassed the corresponding rate for the population of Hispanic women in the United States (10.7), a trend that continued through 2014.

“The changes observed in rates over the past few years suggest that it is important to have a greater understanding of HPV and the use of its vaccine in Puerto Rico. This first survey seeks to begin to address this need,” said Dr. Idania R. Rodríguez Ayuso, co-author of the report on the Survey and senior manager of statistical projects at the Institute.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity responsible for coordinating the Government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and have quick and universal access. The IEPR has in its inventory, accessible through www.estadisticas.pr.gov, about 300 statistical products. In addition, it is a custodian and provides access to over 100 data sets or “data sets” through www.data.pr.gov and to over 40 tables and more than 6 thousand indicators through: www.indicadores.pr.

In addition, as the leading entity of the Puerto Rico SDC, the IEPR manages the SDC portal, where you can find the main statistical reports and publications of the U.S. Census Bureau on Puerto Rico, specifically those that are most in demand, such as annual population estimates; the Puerto Rico Community Survey (Puerto Rico Community Survey) and official statistics on Puerto Rico's 10-year population and housing censuses, among others. The Puerto Rico SDC portal can be accessed through: https://censo.estadisticas.pr/.

For more information you can visit our website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. In addition, you can follow us on social networks through Facebook (estadisticas.pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

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Press Contact: Sandra Morales Blanes/ 787-688-0401

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