At a press conference on September 21 at the Casa Presidencial in San Jose, it was announced that Costa Rica is having talks with 6 pharmaceutical companies currently working on a new COVID-19 vaccine. Those companies include Pfizer, Sinovac, Sinopharm, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and the Russian Sputnik V. Costa Rica is working to obtain enough vaccine doses for the entire country, while ensuring that they be safe and affordable for all.
To date, none of the vaccine candidates has graduated from Phase 3 scientific trials, although Sputnik V is already being widely used and sold. Phase 3 trials are the last step before approval and involve thousands of subjects of differing ages, races, and health status. AstraZeneca had to pause its trials when two subjects developed complications. Sputnik V has been criticized for inconsistencies in their data, and had barely entered Phase 3 trials before being released. President Putin claims to have successfully vaccinated his entire family, without any complications.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a total of nine vaccine initiatives have reached Phase 3 of human trials. They include Pfizer (Germany), Sinovac (China), AstraZeneca (GB/Swiss), Moderna (USA), Sinopharm (China), and Sputnik V (Russia). The US Moderna has claimed that they will have a vaccine ready by the end of October, and have a logistical/delivery plan already in place.
The National Emergency Commission (Comision Nacional de Emergencias CNE) has indicated that the purchase of the vaccines would be realized via a special government program which allows for emergency purchases during times of national crisis. It was estimated that the vaccine will cost Costa Rica between c24,000 – c45,000 million to dose all citizens.
The president of the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (CCSS) Roman Macaya, has declared that the country is seeking three million doses for the first trimester of 2021, and plans to begin vaccinations as soon as they have arrived. The CAJA is already preparing logistics for distribution of the vaccine. Leandra Abarca, co-ordinator of CAJA’s Immunization Program, announced that they will be completely prepared for vaccinating all Costa Ricans immediately upon having the vaccine in hand. No announcements have been made as to the possibility of needing a vaccine that requires two doses per person, with a one-month pause in between, an option being widely discussed in other countries.
Health Minister Daniel Salas says they are keeping all options on the table and are still open to discussions with any country or pharmaceutical company that can deliver safe and effective vaccines for all citizens of Costa Rica. Meanwhile, the numbers of infected people in Costa Rica continue to increase alarmingly. On Monday, the Ministry of Health reported a total of 62,374 COVID cases, 1556 new cases, with a total of 686 deaths from the virus.
Ticos are encouraged to continue wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, and continue hand hygiene as the country opens up to foreigners, and businesses reopen throughout the country.