Costa Rica Authorizes Emergency Use Of AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine - Health Ministry

Faizan Hashmi Published April 09, 2021 | 07:20 AM

MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th April, 2021) Costa Rica's National Commission on Vaccination and Epidemiology has authorized the emergency use of the AstraZeneca vaccine against the coronavirus, the Ministry of Health said.

"The National Commission on Vaccination and Epidemiology (CNVE) has allowed the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19. It will be used among people aged over 18 years old, without any age or gender restrictions, depending on the vaccination progress in various age groups. The drug will not be used among pregnant and breastfeeding women," the ministry said in a statement on late Thursday.

The vaccination campaign started in Costa Rica in December 2020 when the country authorized the use of the Pfizer drug.

The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020. To date, more than 133.76 million people have been infected with the coronavirus worldwide, with over 2.89 million fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Costa Rica has confirmed 220,000 COVID-19 cases so far, with 3,000 fatalities.