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  The National Vaccination and Epidemiology Commission approved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine against covid-19. - Johnson & Johnson photo -  |
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Published
Thursday, June 17, 2021
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff The National Vaccination and Epidemiology Commission approved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine against covid-19. According to the authorities, the approval applies for vaccine cargo arrivals due to donations or through the COVAX mechanism, which is the Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access directed by the World Health Organization. This approval is in response to the Costa Rica Doctors College request for receiving a donation of 1.5 million vaccines from the United States. The College, an organization founded in 1857 and made up of companies and professionals that provide private health services, announced the single-dose vaccine donation to develop a massive campaign to get people inoculated in the coming days. Because the Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires the application of only one dose, the 1.5 million vaccines donated could allow mass vaccinations, according to Elliott Garita-Jiménez, a member of the College's Governing Board. Once the donation is made and the vaccines are imported the College will develop a mass vaccination campaign. Their plan is to use the shopping center facilities to carry out pop-up and drive-up vaccine sites, where people do not have to get out of their vehicle. The vaccination campaigns would be carried out in shopping centers in the Great Metropolitan Area, which is an area made up of cities in the outskirts of San José such as Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago. In February, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, issued an Emergency Use Authorization, EUA, for its single-dose Johnson & Johnson covid-19 vaccine, developed by the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. The particular vaccine is for those over the age of 18. It is compatible with standard vaccine storage and distribution channels with ease of delivery to remote areas. The vaccine is estimated to remain stable for two years at -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Celsius), and a maximum of three months at routine refrigeration at temperatures of 36-46 degrees Fahrenheit (2 to 8 degrees Celsius), the biopharma firm said in its statement. The vaccine can be shipped using the same cold chain technologies used to transport treatments for cancer, immunological disorders and other medicines.  Currently, Costa Rica has imported 2,511,645 vaccines against covid-19, according to the National Emergency Commission. So far, authorities have approved the importation of Pfizer and AstraZeneca treatment against covid-19. Of the total treatment imported, 2,150,520 doses have been applied, reaching a national vaccination rate of 41.7 per 100 inhabitants, according to the statistics from the Vaccine National Information System. The Ministry of Health reported on Wednesday a total of 76,471 active covid-19 cases in the country. Of the total 347,157 cases detected since last year, 4,437 deaths were listed as covid-19 related, approximately 1.3% death rate in Costa Rica. Worldwide the pandemic has killed more than 4.4 million people, according to Johns Hopkins University. -------------------------- What have you heard of donation of vaccines against covid-19 by the U.S.? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com            
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