QCOSTARICA – This week, Costa Rica reached 90.3% of the target population (vaccinable population, that is, in those over 12 years of age) with at least one dose of the covid-19 vaccine and 73.6% with second doses, according to the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) as of Monday, November 22.
The CCSS reports applying 7,034,279 doses of vaccines against covid-19, of which 3,860,379 correspond to first doses, 3,144,053 to second and 29,847 to third doses to first responders.
The CCS target population is 4,274,344 people, represneting 83% of the total population of 5,163,021 based on CCSS 2021 aactuarial projections.
If the total population of the country is taken into account, the coverage rate for first doses is 74.8% and for second doses it is 60.9%.
The Costa Rican government intends to begin vaccinating children between the ages of 5 and 11 during the first quarter of 2022.
“The figures are the result of the effort made by CCSS officials throughout the country to bring vaccines to the arms of all Costa Ricans and of the interest of the population to include vaccines as part of their shield of protection against covid- 19,” said CCSS medical manager, Mario Ruiz.
The wave continues its downtrend
According to data from the Ministry of Health, in epidemiological week 46, which ran from November 14 to 20, there were 1,196 new cases of covid-19, representing a 30% decrease compared to the week previous when there were 1,723 new infections, which confirms the trend that has been seen during the last two months with weekly decreases of more than 25%.
Regarding deaths, 40 were registered in week 46, while in the previous week the number was 60.
Costa Rica is emerging from the strongest wave that has affected it during the pandemic, at which peak up to 3,000 cases daily were registered and hospital services overwhelmed with covid-19 patients.
The drop in cases has allowed a greater opening of activities, although capacity and schedule restrictions persist since face-to-face retail and restaurants cannot operate beyond 11:00 pm, the same limit established for vehicle circulation, that continues nationwide to 5:00 am.
Authorities also began this week the process of closing the Specialized Center for Covid-19 Care (Ceaco), an 88-bed hospital dedicated exclusively to the care of patients in severe and critical condition, which will now return to its original use as the Centro Nacional de Rehabilitación (Cenare), the National Rehabilitation Center.
