Proactive COVID-19 Testing in Costa Rica

40 consoles and almost 30,000 reagents with a high degree of precision for results in minutes.

WE HAVE RAISED: $1.808.387 IN DONATIONS FROM COMPANIES AND INDIVIDUALS. TOGETHER WE CAN DO IT!

Thank you for your support!

HOW TO DONATE?

Your donation will purchase specialized medical equipment validated by the CCSS -Costa Rica’s national healthcare system-. Our goal is to raise $ 750,000 to purchase consoles, reagents, and the training of the medical staff.

Bank transfer

Fundación Costa Rica Estados Unidos
Cédula jurídica 3-006-181947
IBAN: CR91010700000000108714
(o cuenta del BCT No. 71010220010871)

Credit card

Through Amigos of Costa Rica*

PAYpal

Through Amigos of Costa Rica*

Fundraising has ended. Thank you for your support.

Send proof of your contribution to abarrates@crusa.cr and yoapoyo@amcham.cr with the detail PROACTIVE TESTING, your name and / or your company.

* Your donation will be tax deductible to the extent allowed under U.S. law. Amigos of Costa Rica is a 501(c)(3) organization

ABOUT US

The effort is led by the CRUSA Foundation, AmCham and AED in coordination with the Ministry of Health and the CCSS -Costa Rica’s national healthcare system-.

It also has the support of organizations such as CINDE, INCAE, DemoLab and Horizonte Positivo, among many others. **

Who has donated to the campaign?

** The organizations involved in promoting this campaign act under the principle of good faith and with the faithful commitment to make positive contributions to increase the capacities of the health care system in Costa Rica.

In the event that for some reason beyond the control of the organizations the acquisition of the equipment and reagents is not possible, the funds collected will be used to help the CCSS combat COVID-19.

Any acquisition of equipment and reagents will be made with the respective endorsement and coordination with the CCSS -Costa Rica’s national healthcare system-.

WHAT IS A PROACTIVE TESTING?

It is a test with a high degree of precision that allows timely and reliable results to be obtained in a matter of minutes, designed to detect COVID-19 with tests carried out near people.

WHO AND HOW ARE SELECTED THE EQUIPMENT AND THE REAGENTS TO BE DONATED ?

This campaign is an effort led by the private sector and civil society, coordinated with the Ministry of Health and the CCSS -Costa Rica’s national healthcare system-

The analysis of the technology to acquire and donate is carried out by the specialists of the CCSS and is based on the following criteria:

Decentralization capacity
Equipment and reagents availability
Certification of international entities such as FDA.
Equipment time response
Real-time PCR results

Message from the President of the CCSS Sr. Román Macaya Hayes

Official Letters

HOW DOES THE PROACTIVE TESTING WILL BENEFIT OUR COUNTRY?

The implementation of a proactive testing tool in Costa Rica would reduce the time that passes between contagion and isolation, and therefore reduce the probability of increasing the rate of virus spread, which in turn would allow a faster recovery of all economic activity.

WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF THE PROACTIVE TESTING IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD?

South Korea became an example in the world because – despite being a neighbor of China, where the pandemic originated – its number of infections and its mortality rate (1.25%) was much lower (Italy’s rate is almost 10 times higher). In a country of 50 million inhabitants (10 times more than Costa Rica), South Koreans were able to apply up to 20,000 tests per day, quickly detecting asymptomatic positive cases and isolating them to avoid contagion.

In total, that country has carried out more than 338,000 tests.

Germany has also successfully applied proactive testing. Despite having one of the highest numbers of infections, the mortality rate is just 0.9%. German authorities indicated that they are able to carry out 160,000 diagnostic tests per week, very similar to South Korea.