Costa Rica was happy to begin COVID-19 vaccinations at the end of 2020. The government had previously signed a deal with Pfizer/BioNTech to bring vaccines to the country when they were ready and approved.
As of March 16, Costa Rica has received 557,115 vaccines. With a population of just over 5 million people, this corresponds to vaccinations for about 10% of the population. That is almost 16% of the target population to be vaccinated.
Who is getting vaccinated in Costa Rica?
From the beginning, the Health Ministry has been focused on making sure that Costa Rica’s at-risk populations were protected from this virus. The first of five groups of people to be vaccinated include first responders (fire fighters, paramedics, and emergency workers), elderly people living in long term care facilities and the people working there, the health ministry, private health workers, and police officers.
The second group, who are currently receiving vaccinations, include everyone 58 and older, regardless of whether they have any risk factors or not.
This is great news for travelers to Costa Rica for two reasons
First of all, it’s important to consider the health of the people living in the country you’re going to visit for the sake of your own health. The fewer people who are sick or contagious where you’re traveling, the better, no matter the disease. No one wants to get COVID-19, especially now that many countries require a negative COVID-19 test in order to return home.
Plus, because of the hope that vaccination efforts have brought to Costa Rica, the government has started loosening some of its restrictions. The night curfew and license plate-based restrictions for non-taxi cars has been lightened. Additionally most locations are open and activities permitted at 50% capacities.
On the other side of this, conscious travelers want to travel ethically. Part of traveling ethically involves not negatively impacting the lives of the people who live where you’re going. You can travel with more peace of mind knowing that those most at risk in Costa Rica are already vaccinated, or will be getting vaccinated soon.
