No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeNewsCosta RicaCosta Rica's first coronavirus vaccines will arrive today

Costa Rica’s first coronavirus vaccines will arrive today

The first doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine will arrive in Costa Rica on Wednesday night, President Carlos Alvarado announced.

Costa Ricans will begin receiving the vaccine on Thursday.

“The vaccine getting here today — one of the first countries in Latin America to get it — is enormous news,” said Health Minister Daniel Salas. “It’s a light in a year that has been so full of darkness.

“But it’s not that we’re getting the vaccine and we have beaten the pandemic. We are at the beginning of a long process, to build a house of immunity, but it will be constructed little by little.”

The National Commission of Vaccination and Epidemiology, part of the Health Ministry, has indicated the priority for vaccination will be as follows:

  • Staff and residents at retirement or nursing homes.
  • First responders, including health personnel.
  • Costa Rica’s older population, defined here as those ages 58 and up.
  • People with risk factors, including hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, respiratory illness, kidney disease and obesity, among others.
  • Teachers and other staff within the Education Ministry (MEP).
  • Imprisoned people and judicial staff.
  • Workers for the 911 service.
  • Health science students and related technicians in clinical fields.
  • People ages 40-57 without any of the aforementioned risk factors but whose work puts them in contact with others. This includes laborers in agriculture, construction, service industries, etc.

President Alvarado and other high-ranking government authorities will receive the vaccine in accordance to where they fall in the above prioritization list.

The vaccine will not be obligatory, authorities said Wednesday.

Costa Rica and Pfizer-BioNTech have an agreement for 3 million doses of the vaccine, enough for 1.5 million people. The Central American country also has a deal with AstraZeneca and is a member of the COVAX facility.

Costa Rica hopes to vaccinate 3 million people by the end of 2021. This would cover 80% of the country’s adult population, including everyone with known risk factors.

Trending Now

Costa Rica Traffic Accidents Drive Up Insurance Premiums

Costa Rica's roads have turned into a deadly trap, with traffic accidents claiming more lives and causing more injuries than ever before. On Friday,...

Compassion in Costa Rica: Tales from The Bribri and The Bridge

The book The Bribri and The Bridge: Tales from Life with the Indigenous People of Costa Rica is both a celebration and a portrait of...

Costa Rica Police Investigate Buried Body as Possible Gringo Tico

Police in Costa Rica are checking if a body dug up from a farm belongs to Daniel Francisco Vargas Salas, a 71-year-old man locals...

5 Top Costa Rican Restaurants on TripAdvisor’s Best List

Costa Rica's restaurants have landed spots on TripAdvisor's global list of top dining spots this year. Five local places made the cut in the...

What to Expect from Costa Rica’s Weather in October

October heads into a rainier stretch than usual for most of Costa Rica, based on the latest from the National Meteorological Institute. For those...

Costa Rica 2026 Elections Kick Off: 20 Candidates Vie for Presidency

Costa Rica's electoral season began yesterday with the Supreme Electoral Tribunal's official call for the 2026 national elections. Eugenia Zamora, the TSE president, described...
spot_img
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