No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeNewsCosta RicaNews briefs: Rodrigo Marín, director of health surveillance, resigns after disobeying measures

News briefs: Rodrigo Marín, director of health surveillance, resigns after disobeying measures

The coronavirus crisis has transformed life in Costa Rica, which has enacted measures to protect the capacity of its health system.

Here’s what you should know as a new day starts in Costa Rica:

Marín resigns after disobeying measures

Rodrigo Marín, the now-former director of health surveillance for Costa Rica’s Health Ministry, resigned Monday hours after a photo of the epidemiologist disobeying coronavirus measures circulated on social media.

“Without a doubt, it is necessary to preach by example, and yesterday I was not consistent with the message,” Marín wrote in his resignation letter to Health Minister Daniel Salas.

Sunday, photos of Marín on a sport-fishing boat off the Guanacaste coast were shared by the company the owns the vessel. In the social-media post, Marín — not wearing a face mask or shield — is seen posing for a picture with the captain of the Magician II.

After initially saying that the visit followed Tourism Board protocol because the captain was wearing a face shield, Marín tendered his resignation.

“I made an error, did not maintain my distance outside of my bubble, and did not use personal protective equipment,” Marín wrote.

“These inopportune actions do not represent the commitment of the Health Ministry and each of its workers, who have been working tirelessly against the emergency.”

Marín said he was in Guanacaste “reviewing issues of protocol and the reactivation of the area.”

Plasma treatment advances

Costa Rica is closer to having more treatment options for coronavirus patients thanks to the work of the Clodomiro Picado Institute.

According to Román Macaya, executive president of the Costa Rican Social Security System (CCSS), the country could soon treat patients with purified antibodies from the blood of horses that have been injected with non-infectious SARS-CoV-2 proteins.

Macaya said that the CCSS is establishing and testing a protocol for using the equine serum. The Clodomiro Picado Institute is partnering with George Mason University for further quality control.

The equine serum could be authorized for use in two weeks, Macaya said.

The CCSS already treats critical patients with convalescent blood plasma donated from people who have recovered from COVID-19.

 

 

Trending Now

Costa Rica’s Top Court Bans President Chaves from 2026 Election Campaign

Costa Rica’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal on Thursday barred President Rodrigo Chaves from participating in the 2026 election campaign, ruling that he "illegitimately used" his...

Costa Rica’s Taiwan Ties Stir “One China” Policy Tensions

Costa Rica is caught in a diplomatic tug-of-war with China after sending officials to Taiwan for training. The government confirmed that five members of...

Costa Rica Aims to Close Paternity Leave Gap with Bold New Proposal

A new bill in Costa Rica aims to give fathers in the private sector a full month of paid paternity leave, matching the benefit...

Costa Rica’s Piangua Mollusk Threatened by Pineapple Farm Runoff

Costa Rica’s Térraba-Sierpe National Wetland, a 33,000-hectare haven of mangroves and rivers, is under siege from an unlikely source: pineapple farms. A study by...

Costa Rica’s Pride 2025 Closing Event Bans Minors, Sparks Outrage

Costa Rica’s Pride 2025 closing event, set for June 29 at San José’s Plaza de la Democracia, was thrown into controversy when the government...

OIJ Warns: Costa Rica Now a Key Warehouse for Drug Lords

Costa Rica’s recent drug busts, with tons of cocaine and marijuana seized across the country, shine a harsh light on its deepening role in...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica