Costa Rica approves emergency budget for vaccine purchase

The Costa Rican Congress unanimously passed extraordinary credit for the country to purchase additional coronavirus vaccine doses. To buy 640,000 jabs, the government expects to spend an extra CRC 40.5 billion (USD 65.3 million). 

Costa Rica started inoculations on December 24 and is one of six countries where vaccination is ongoing. The others are Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Panama, and Brazil.  So far, around 30,000 Costa Ricans have been vaccinated, including the country’s oldest man, José Uriel “Chepito,” who claims he is 120 years old. 

The country has distinguished itself from neighboring nations by managing to keep infections and deaths at low levels. With a population of 5 million people, Costa Rica has reported 2,506 deaths and roughly 188,000 confirmed cases.

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