The United States government next week will deliver a shipment of Covid-19 vaccines to Costa Rica, authorities reported.
“I am pleased to announce that the United States is preparing to ship vaccines to Costa Rica next week,” said Gloria Berbena, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica, on Friday evening.
President Carlos Alvarado thanked the United States for its support.
“We appreciate this announcement that reaffirms the solidarity and support of the United States,” he wrote on Twitter.
“The technical teams from both countries have worked side-by-side to make this possible. Our countries reaffirm their historic bilateral relationship and their commitment to work together.”
Details about the the quantity of doses, type of vaccine or terms of the delivery were not made immediately available.
To date, Costa Rica has received 2,847,435 vaccine doses from Pfizer, AstraZeneca and through the Covax facility. The majority (more than 2.25 million) have come directly from Pfizer.
Costa Rica has purchased 9 million doses, meaning it has received just over 30% of its total allotment.
The United States has committed to donating at least 500 million vaccines to countries around the world. In June, the White House included Costa Rica among the nations that would receive donated vaccines.
“The United States will share vaccines in service of ending the pandemic globally,” the White House said at the time.
“The sharing of millions of U.S. vaccines with other countries signals a major commitment by the U.S. government.”
