No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeCovid 19 UpdatesSerious Covid vaccine side effects rare in Costa Rica: Health Ministry

Serious Covid vaccine side effects rare in Costa Rica: Health Ministry

The Health Ministry says headache, localized pain, muscle aches and a low-grade fever are the most common side effects reported after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine in Costa Rica.

Since December 24, the country’s National Pharmacovigilance Commission has received 6,794 “Events Supposedly Attributable to Vaccination and Immunization” (ESAVI) related to the Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines. This represents adverse events after 0.3% of the total vaccines administered through July 4.

An ESAVI is defined as “any unfavorable, unintended health situation that occurs after vaccination/immunization but that does not necessarily have a causal relationship with the vaccination process or with the vaccine.”

Of the ESAVIs, Costa Rican health authorities report 24 serious events, all of which occurred after receiving a Pfizer dose. These include eight people who died in the days or weeks after receiving the vaccine.

Six of those deaths have so far been analyzed. The Health Ministry details them as follows:

  • Two cases were determined as having a “conditional” tie to the vaccine. This means that while the factors that caused the death have not been firmly established, the vaccine is not known to have been a factor.
  • Four cases were classified as “unlikely,” meaning they “do not meet the criteria to establish a causal relationship with the vaccine.” 

Of the remaining special-interest events, the Health Ministry detailed them as follows:

  • Seven “probable” events, given the potential relationship between the symptom and the administration of the vaccine.
  • Five “possible” cases, since the symptoms may be due to other preexisting factors.
  • Four “conditional” cases, meaning pathologies presented by the patient could have triggered the condition.

Individuals can report adverse events that may be attributed to a Covid-19 vaccine to the health center at which they received the shot, or at www.notificacentroamerica.net.

Costa Rica has administered more than 3 million doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines. More than 5,000 people in Costa Rica have died related to Covid-19, and 364 people are in intensive care with Covid-19 as of last Friday.

Trending Now

Costa Rica’s Religious Culture Through the Eyes of a Non-Religious Expat

Costa Rica is the only country in the Americas that has an official religion—Catholicism—enshrined in its constitution. While the Constitution recognizes freedom of worship,...

Rural Costa Rica Adopts Ecosystem-Based Approach to Climate Resilience

As climate change intensifies, rural communities across Costa Rica are taking concrete steps to reduce risks and adapt to increasing climate pressures. With support...

Canadian Tourism to Costa Rica Drops Amid Rising Crime Concerns

Canadian visits to Costa Rica have started to drop in 2025, with crime playing a big part in the shift. Data from the Costa...

Salvadoran Lawyers Fight for Rights of Trump-Deported Migrants in Secretive Prison

A small group of overstretched and outmatched lawyers is fighting for the rights of men deported by the Trump administration and held in a...

El Salvador NGO Flees to Guatemala as Bukele Intensifies Crackdown on Critics

The prestigious NGO Cristosal, which investigates corruption cases and denounces human rights violations in El Salvador, announced Thursday that it has been forced into...

Starbucks Expands in Guanacaste with New Store Opening in Tamarindo

Starbucks continues to strengthen its presence in Costa Rica with the opening of its second store in the province of Guanacaste, specifically in Tamarindo....
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