Costa Rica receives shipment of 92,400 more vaccines

Costa Rica received 92,430 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on Tuesday night, the single-largest shipment delivered to the country, the Presidency reported.

Costa Rica has now received more than 276,000 total Pfizer doses, enough for 138,000 people. The country’s contract with Pfizer is for 3 million doses of the two-shot vaccine.

Eighty percent of vaccines received Tuesday — about 74,000 doses — will go toward inoculating Costa Rica’s second priority group (58 years and older), starting with the most elderly.

Costa Rica has administered at least 101,000 vaccine shots, representing about 37% of its total supply — though vaccination numbers were last updated early this week, and the country has received its two largest shipments over the last seven days. More than 42,500 people have received both jabs.

Costa Rica’s vaccine priority is as follows:

• First group: Staff and residents at retirement or nursing homes.First responders, including health personnel.
• Second group: Costa Rica’s older population, defined here as those ages 58 and up. According to the Presidency, this group will be required to demonstrate residency with a cédula or DIMEX.
• Third group: People from 18-58 with risk factors, including hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, respiratory illness, kidney disease and obesity, among others.
• Fourth group: Teachers and other staff within the Education Ministry (MEP) or private schools. Imprisoned people and judicial staff. Workers for the 911 service.
• Fifth group: 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.

The Caja will contact individuals to schedule their coronavirus vaccine. Those who fall into priority groups should contact their local EBAIS (public community health clinic) and ensure their contact information is current.

Direct deliveries of the AstraZeneca vaccine will begin in May, the National Emergency Commission (CNE) said last week. Costa Rica could receive AstraZeneca doses earlier as part of its enrollment in the Covax facility.

Studies suggest the Pfizer vaccine is effective against the South African and British coronavirus strains, both of which have recently been identified in Costa Rica.

The latest Covid data

See the below graph for the latest Costa Rica coronavirus updates:

If you believe you have COVID-19, contact Costa Rica’s hotline at 1322. English-speaking staff and mental health professionals are available. Visit the Costa Rican Presidency for the official list of coronavirus measures and alerts.