PRESS RELEASE

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute collaborates in the development of a data collection tool for COVID-19 from hospitals

The system collects and consolidates daily data on suspected and confirmed cases

Dr. Orville M. Disdier, executive director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics (Institute), reported that the Institute, in collaboration with the Department of Health and the Task Force Physician, the design, development and implementation of a system for the daily collection and consolidation of data on COVID-19 in hospitals was completed. Through this system, epidemiologists at each hospital can easily and quickly enter basic data on suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19.

As explained by Disdier, the data required by the system are those necessary for the so-called rapid surveillance system. The content and logistics of this rapid surveillance system were designed and approved by doctors Cynthia Pérez and Enid García, in collaboration with other members of the Task Force and the Department of Health. The variables collected by the system are the following: Gender, age, municipality of residence, date of onset of symptoms, type of exposure, if the person was admitted to the hospital, if the person is on mechanical ventilation, if the person is in intensive care, date of taking the sample, type of test, result of the test, if the person died, and date of death, if that were the case.

“Faced with the urgent need for the Department of Health to have a rapid epidemiological surveillance system in hospitals, the Institute offered full assistance to the Department of Health and the Task Force Doctor. We are very grateful that they have accepted our collaboration. In just one week, we were able to implement the system and at this time hospitals send information in a fast, complete and standardized way about COVID-19 to the Department of Health. Rapid surveillance systems are essential to combat any epidemic or pandemic,” he argued.

The data that hospitals enter into the system is consolidated every day, at approximately 12:00 noon. After consolidation, epidemiologists from the Department of Health verify the quality of the data and make any necessary edits in consultation with hospital epidemiologists. Finally, the consolidated and verified data will be used by the Department of Health to generate daily statistical reports and for other epidemiological surveillance activities. It is also expected that this will help the Department of Health to comply with Act No. 209 of August 28, 2003, which requires them to share the official data generated with the Institute, an aspect with which the Department of Health has not fully complied with until now. In fact, this law establishes that the Institute is a co-owner of all the information and statistical product that government agencies develop, and that it can add and disseminate such information as it deems appropriate. “We urge the Department of Health to comply with the law and to send these and any other data related to COVID-19 to the Institute on a daily basis and promptly so that we can provide citizens with complete, reliable statistics with quick and universal access,” emphasized Dr. Disdier.

Disdier explained that this system of data collection and consolidation did not involve the use of additional funds, since it based its structure on other tools already existing at the Institute and on free-to-use programming languages, such as Python. The Institute's work team dedicated many hours of work to this project, despite all the challenges that COVID-19 represents for everyone in Puerto Rico and the fact that they are currently working remotely from home. The quality, efficiency and effectiveness of this new system is being verified daily by Institute personnel in collaboration with doctors Pérez and García, who have demonstrated a genuine commitment to overcoming COVID-19.

To learn more about the Institute of Statistics, you can access the website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. On social media through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

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59% of visitors to Puerto Rico were women and 63% are Puerto Ricans residing in other jurisdictions

This is according to the Visitor Profile for Fiscal Year 2023-2024 published by the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics in collaboration with the Tourism Company

San Juan, Puerto Rico. December 9, 2024. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) in collaboration with the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (CTPR) published the Visitor Profile Fiscal Year 2023-2024. This Profile includes the findings of the Traveler Survey conducted from July 2023 to June 2024. This survey was conducted at Luis Muñoz Marín airports in Carolina, Mercedita in Ponce and Rafael Hernández airports in Aguadilla, as well as at the tourist docks of Old San Juan. The term “visitor” includes all non-resident travelers staying in hotels, hostels, rented apartments, homes of family and/or friends, own home, guesthouse, and others.

“The main statistical product of traveler surveys are estimates of visitor expenses, which are included in Puerto Rico's Balance of Payments as income for our economy. In addition, these surveys contribute to the determination of Gross Product and generate statistics on the characteristics of travelers, characteristics that are necessary for decision-making both at the governmental level and by the private sector,” explained Dr. Orville M. Disdier Flores, Executive Director of the Institute.

For his part, the executive director of the CTPR, Carlos Mercado Santiago, highlighted that “the new Traveler Survey questionnaires were specifically designed to respond to the data needs identified by the CTPR, Discover Puerto Rico, the Department of Economic Development and Commerce, the Puerto Rico Planning Board and Aerostar Airport Holdings, LLC. This strategic adaptation allowed us to collect key information for the planning, execution and evaluation of short and long-term promotion strategies, in addition to meeting the main objectives of economic statistics.”

The Visitor Profile provides information about visitors regarding their place of origin, gender, age, education, occupation, income level, the purpose of their trip, type of accommodation, places visited, average number of days spent, activities carried out, the quality of the services offered at airports, their satisfaction with their visit and their expenses in various categories. It should be noted that several reported analyses were broken down between Puerto Rican visitors and other types of visitors, allowing for certain contrasts. Among the most significant findings from this study are the following:

• 93% of visitors come from other jurisdictions in the United States.
• 63% of the people who visit us are Puerto Ricans who reside in other jurisdictions.
• 59% of the visitors were women.
• Puerto Rican women between 40 and 59 years of age represent Puerto Rico's most frequent visitor profile.
• The majority of visitors are highly educated, with 53% having a baccalaureate or higher degree.
• More than 50% of Puerto Rican visitors reported annual family incomes greater than $60,000 while most other visitors reported annual family incomes of $80,000 or more.
• The majority of Puerto Rican visitors visit us for vacations or to visit family and friends (36% and 32%, respectively).
• 47% of visitors stayed in the private residences of friends or family, followed by hotels (22%) and short-term rentals (20%).
• The main municipalities where non-Puerto Rican visitors stayed were San Juan, Carolina and Rio Grande. Puerto Rican visitors tended to disperse more across other regions outside the metropolitan area.
• The Metro region was the most visited in general, by 66% of visitors. This region is particularly popular with non-Puerto Rican visitors (76%).
• The regions of Porta del Sol, known for its beach tourism, and Porta Cordillera, famous for its mountainous landscapes, showed relatively low visitor values at 28% and 15%, respectively. 20% of the total number of visitors reported visiting Porta Caribe, famous for its culture and history.
• A low percentage of visitors (17%) participate in ecotourism activities.
• 95% of visitors were “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with their visit and 96% of visitors stated that they are “very likely” or “likely” to return to Puerto Rico.
• The total expenditure of air visitors reached $2,546 million, of which 52% were Puerto Rican visitors. Including cruise ship hikers in transit, total spending is close to $2.6 billion, representing approximately 3% of Puerto Rico's Gross Product.

To access the Visitor Profile Fiscal Year 2023-2024, you can visit Visitor profile.

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.

For more information you can visit the website: www.estadisticas.pr or write to preguntas@estadisticas.pr. They can also follow social networks through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), X (@EstadisticasPR), LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) and Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) accounts.

Authorized by the Office of the Electoral Comptroller OCE-SA-2024- 13775

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Authorized Statements by Dr. Mario Marazzi-Santiago, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, on Statistics of Occupied Government Positions