  The money will be transferred to the National Emergency Commission to proceed with the purchasing of 640,800 vaccines. - Casa Presidencial photo - |
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 Published Friday, January 15, 2021 Congress
approves $66 million-plus to
purchase more covid-19 vaccines By the A.M. Costa Rica staff The deputies of Congress unanimously approved the first budget of $66,098,916 presented by the government this year for the purchase of vaccines against covid-19. The money will be transferred to the National Emergency Commission to proceed with the purchasing of 640,800 vaccines. According to Congress, two motions to settle contingencies for this budget were also approved. One requires the Commission to evaluate the processes used to purchase vaccines every three months. The second motion requires the Commission to make adjustments in the next extra budget if they find a better loan meant for purchasing vaccines. The government has projected to spend $77 million in vaccine purchases, to apply the treatment to 3.7 million inhabitants (including residents with DIMEX identification), according to Isaac Castro Esquivel, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Finance. According to Castro, the government is looking for loans to buy vaccines against covid-19. One viable option is a loan from the World Bank. While the health authorities continue with the vaccination campaign for the first pre-selected group of people, the increase in infections and deaths related to covid-19 continues, according to the most up-to-date statistics reported by the Ministry of Health on Thursday. 1,086 new covid-19 cases are reported, bringing the total to 40,268 current active cases. 23,052 foreign-born people have been infected, totaling 183,242 cases since March, approximately 12.6% of the total cases. Of these, authorities confirmed the death of 32 foreign-born patients. But since October, there is no updated information about foreign-born deaths due to covid-19. 557 patients are being treated in public hospitals, where 240 patients are in ICUs in delicate health conditions.Their ages range from 12 to 93-years-old. And 337 patients are in recovery rooms. Many of the remaining infected patients are quarantined in their homes. 140,573 patients have fully recovered, a 76.8% recovery rate of the total cases since March. 535,554 covid-19 tests have been conducted in Costa Rica since March, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering of Johns Hopkins University in the United States. 2,401 deaths are listed as covid-19 related, approximately 1.3% death rate of the total cases since March. Of these are 901 women and 1,500 men. The ages range from a 2-year-old to a 101-year-old. Readers can see the updated number of total patients in each district at the National Distance Education University on its Covid-19 Map.  According to Johns Hopkins University, the pandemic has killed more than 2 million people worldwide. -------------------------- How could the authorities speed up the vaccination process against covid-19? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com         
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