QCOSTARICA – Rectors of public universities, authorities of the Catholic Church, and representatives of business and labor groups throughout the country are asking the Government to promote mass vaccination against covid-19.
This group, which calls itself the “Mesa de Trabajo para Acelerar la Vacunación Unidos por la Vida” (Working Group for the Acceleration of Vaccination United for Life), also requests to analyze the scientific evidence on the safety and efficacy of all the vaccines available in the world against the virus.
In a press release, that “Mesa de Trabajo” confirmed the holding of a virtual meeting, this Monday, in which it was proposed to the authorities, led by the Minister of the Presidency, Geannina Dinarte, and by the Minister of Health, Daniel Salas Peraza, the following points:
- Establish the technical and political link with the group to accelerate the vaccination process. The group designated the Catholic Church as its liaison and interlocutor.
- Analyze all the options available in the world for vaccines against covid-19, and speed up the administrative procedures for the registration of new vaccines in the country.
- The Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) is asked to receive and coordinate the offers of additional capacities to accelerate and improve vaccination.
“The coordination of these offers and the realization of pilot plans for public-private alliances, would channel the help offered by the sectors, motivating others to contribute, hand in hand with the authorities, who today are waging a patriotic battle against this virus,” says the group.
The group also suggests that the Ministry of Health include in priority vaccination groups workers from the private sector and social organizations that have a role in the first line of health care; among them, they say, pharmacy staff and nonprofit organizations.
The president of the Comisión Nacional de Emergencias (CNE), Alexander Solís, and the executive president of CCSS, Román Macaya Hayes, also participated in the virtual meeting with these organizations.
Until now, vaccination has been carried out following an order by prioritization groups. The technical teams classified the population into five groups. Currently, some health areas are starting with the third and fourth groups.
According to the group’s statement, this effort articulated by the Church brings together more than 50 business chambers, more than 100,000 unionized workers from the health, education, agriculture, peasant farmer sectors, and industry, among others.
Also to 3,580 community development associations, 594 cooperatives and solidarity, as well as municipalities, mayors and municipalities throughout the country.
The purpose of this group, the statement explains, is to create and advance a proposal and strategy, in common with the Central Government that has the scientific, technical and ethical rigor to collaborate.
“It is a non-profit initiative, based on a public-private co-management strategy, based on transparency and accountability, which allows accelerating the arrival of more vaccines against covid-19 to our country and its immediate app.
“You cannot leave the concern about the behavior of the virus in recent weeks: the most affected age group corresponds to the economically active population and, at this time, a large part of this population is outside the vaccination plan,” indicates the organization.
Since the beginning of this month, the private health sector has also offered to join the campaign either by importing doses or using its facilities.
Vaccination against covid-19 began in Costa Rica on December 24.
According to data from the CCSS, as of May 17, more than 1.2 million doses have been applied since then, and 530,000 people already have the full two-dose schedule. An update to the vaccination statistics is expected on Tuesday.
As of Friday, May 21, the last day the Ministry of Health published numbers, a total of 299,219 accumulated confirmed cases and 3,765 people have died associated with covid-19, have been registered in Costa Rica since the start of the pandemic, in March 2020.
