QCOSTARICA – In Costa Rica, the urgency of getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is growing by the day.
The continued large number of new cases daily and the looming arrival of the delta variant is threatening once again to overwhelm Costa Rica’s medical services with patients too numerous to handle.
“I just want her to get the jab as soon as possible,” said Laura Masís Arce, resident of Aguacaliente de Cartago, arriving at 3:00 am on the first day of mass vaccinations. Arce was among in Costa Rica who this Friday attended the call made by the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) to apply the dose to people between 40 and 57 years old, as part of a massive day that will last from July 16 to 25 across the country.
Getting the jab on Friday was also President Carlos Alvarado (41) and first-lady, Claudia Dobles (40), who got the first dose at the Escuela Municipal de Artes Integradas (EMAI), in Santa Ana.
At the INA, in La Uruca, the line started early in the morning, before the sun was up and stretched for several blocks by 7 am. For many, the up to 5 hours wait was worth it, they expressed to the television cameras during the noon live broadcasts.
The same was repeated in other areas across the country.
As expected, many called it a day of “disorder”. However, the Caja dispelled some of the unease, explaining that hospitals open vaccination posts during these ten days of to vaccinate people from any part of the country, meanwhile, Health Areas should only to those registered to their area of attention.
The massive campaign began less than two days after a shipment of 500,000 vaccines was received from Pfizer, a donation by the United States government under their “estamos unidos” program.
The night before (Thursday) a batch of 79, 560 doses were received from Pfizer, part of the weekly deliveries as the pharmaceutical continues with its fulfillment of Costa Rica’s purchase of vaccines.
The week of vaccination will also go from a vaccination by prioritization groups to an open one, by age groups, starting with those between 40 and 57 years old with or without risk factors, which is the segment of the population most affected by the pandemic at this time.
