QCOSTARICA – Costa Rica received this Sunday morning, June 6, the second direct shipment from AstraZeneca of vaccines against covid-19.
The flight landed at 11:05 am at the San Jose airport with 204,000 doses. So far, the country has received 408,000 doses of the one million purchased from AstraZeneca, which will protect 500,000 people.
Our country had previously received 132,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX mechanism, a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines directed by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (formerly the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, or GAVI), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Today’s shipment is number 25 of the combined deliveries from Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and COVAX, for a total of 2,432,085 vaccines.
“The country had set a goal, at the end of June, to reach at least 2,200,000 doses. We have exceeded this goal in order to be able to reinforce the vaccination scheme and advance with immunization,” said Sigifredo Pérez, chief of operations for the National Emergency Commission (CNE).
Once these doses arrive in the country, they are subjected to the review of temperature reports and documentary approval by the drug quality control laboratory. Later, they are available for use in the vaccination campaign.
More vaccines on the way
Costa Rica is waiting for more vaccines from the different suppliers
Initially, the country had made a purchase of six million doses to protect three million people.
Subsequently, an addendum was made to the Pfizer contract for a million more doses and then for another two million.
At the moment there are contracts for nine million doses, with the goal to cover people from the age of 12.
¡Cerramos la 1era semana de junio con el arribo de más vacunas!
Hoy llegaron 204.000 dosis de la vacuna de AstraZeneca.
Hemos recibido 283.560 dosis esta semana y 2.432.085 vacunas en total.Esto refuerza el trabajo por acelerar la campaña de vacunación. @CCSSdeCostaRica pic.twitter.com/LC6j7WBZOy
— Carlos Alvarado Quesada (@CarlosAlvQ) June 6, 2021
However, there are plans to acquire more doses and to diversify the contracts if there are products that comply with having rigorous studies in phase III (the last one in development), have the approval of a rigorous agency and the availability to send stocks in the short term. term.
In addition, Costa Rica is on the list to receive a yet unknown quantity of the 80 million vaccine doses the United States will be sharing worldwide. On Friday, the White House announced that the United States will share vaccines in service of ending the pandemic globally.
