By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Licitania Vargas Arce, 103, who lives in Ciudad Quesada District, Alajuela Province, is one of a few elderly people who has been injected with the flu vaccine in the comfort of her home, reported Social Security on Wednesday.

Vargas was vaccinated in her own home due to the home delivery vaccination program that applied in the case of elderly patients, people classified as high risk, or people living in areas far from Social Security clinics.

"I am very pleased with the Costa Rican health system, because, since I can remember all the needs of the population have been met," said Vargas, better known as Doña Licitania.

In addition to Vargas, her 83-year-old daughter Luz Ania Carrillo also got the flu vaccine at home. The two women are on the list of people who are cared for at their homes.

"We have identified very high-risk patients as people in bed, elderlies, or people living far away from local clinics," said Thais Ching Zamora of Social Security.

This year the seasonal influenza vaccination day is a challenge for both the institution and the population, as it involves more organization to avoid increasing their risk of covid-19, said Social Security in its statement.

In addition to the home delivery vaccination service, vaccines are being applied in schools, communal halls, churches, among others, in areas far from public clinics.


This year 1.3 million influenza vaccines will be applied to 1.1 million elder adults, in addition to 200 thousand children.

To comply with the campaign, Social Security paid $6,120,259 for the vaccine doses, plus expenses to coordinate the application process throughout the country.

In Costa Rica, the yearly influenza vaccination campaign has been carried out since 2004. This year the vaccines campaign started on May 4.

Social Security does not apply the vaccine to all its members or so-called affiliates. Only vulnerable people will receive a dose of protection against this year's flu.

Vulnerable people are considered to be children, ages ranging from 6 months to 7 years old, adults older than 59, diabetic patients, people with morbid and grade III obesity, people with heart disease, people with respiratory diseases and pregnant women.

The rest of the affiliates must buy the flu vaccine for this season in private clinics.

According to Social Security, influenza is a common viral respiratory disease that spreads easily from person to person and causes complications, sometimes deadly, even in healthy people.

Its symptoms start suddenly and among them are chills, muscle and throat pain, poor general condition, normally high fever, and fatigue. Its complications can be serious like pneumonia and fatal. The virus can survive for three days and spreads by touch.

Social Security advises that "vaccination is the best defense against influenza."

People may contact the nearest Social Security clinic to receive the vaccine and avoid increasing the risk of contagion of this disease. It may increase the risk of developing a more severe pulmonary disease.



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