The approval is given from the authorization that the vaccine received by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last Friday, according to this agency in a statement.
In his social networks, the president of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, said that the contract with the company guarantees coverage of 1.5 million people. In October, Costa Rica announced the agreement with Pfizer and BionNtech for the purchase of 3,000,000 doses. Each patient requires 2 doses.
When will vaccination begin in Costa Rica?
In a statement, the Costa Rican Ministry of Health reported that the vaccination campaign could be carried out in the first quarter of 2021, without specifying the exact date.
He also explained that the authorization is given thanks to the work of the Directorate for the Regulation of Products of Health Interest (DRPIS) of the Ministry of Health, which received on December 13 the authorization of the emergency use of the vaccine with the necessary requirements. Among the requests is a certified letter of authorization for emergency use issued by FDA, an affidavit confirming that the product offered corresponds to the approved one, the pharmacological and labeling information and the certificate of good manufacturing practices.
Robert Dormond, director of Corporate Affairs for Pfizer Central America and the Caribbean, said that the emergency use authorization granted by the country is a "milestone in the fight against this disease." In addition, he thanked the Costa Rican Ministry of Health "for the rigorous process of analyzing the available evidence for our vaccine, confirming its safety and efficacy."
Pfizer and BioNtech reported on Friday that, under current projections, the manufacturing network has the potential to supply globally up to 50 million doses of vaccines in 2020 and 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021, which is subject to the manufacturing capacity, regulatory approval and authorization.
Source: https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2020/12/16/costa-rica-autoriza-uso-de-emergencia-de-vacuna-contra-covid-19-de-pfizer-biontech/
