● Puerto Rico’s virus death toll hits

Puerto Rico saw its largest single-day increase in COVID-19 cases, a sign that testing is ramping up but also that the virus is spreading amid some of the most restrictive measures of any U.S. jurisdiction.

On Monday, the island’s Health Department said public and private labs had detected 47 new cases and that another patient had died. The island now has 174 cases of the novel coronavirus and has registered six deaths due to COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

The latest fatality was a 68-year-old man who had close contact with a family member who had traveled to New York — the U.S. epicenter of the pandemic, the Health Department said. The man died at a hospital in Bayamón, about 10 miles southwest of the capital.

Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory of 3.2 million people, registered its first three cases of the novel coronavirus on March 13 and shut all nonessential businesses, canceled school, and ordered residents to stay indoors three days later. Those measures — along with others — will continue through at least April 12.

For the vast majority of people, the coronavirus produces flu-like symptoms. But in a significant minority — particularly the elderly and those with other health issues — it can cause respiratory problems that require hospitalization and, in extreme cases, the use of a ventilator.

Like many jurisdictions, Puerto Rico has been having trouble ramping up its testing. Early on in the outbreak, the government said it had ordered 200,000 rapid test kits, but those tests have come trickling in, and the administration has provided few details.