PAHO/WHO recently donated 27.2 tonnes of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Costa Rican Ministry of Health including surgical gowns, surgical masks, N95 respirators, goggles and protective masks.
Having enough personal protective equipment to ensure that workers on the front lines of the pandemic can carry out their work safely is critical in the fight against COVID-19 and has been one of PAHO’s priorities in the region.
Doctors, nurses, health inspectors, surveillance teams, and law enforcement officers will receive the equipment first to keep them safe and prevent them from spreading the disease in communities, Costa Rican health officials ensured, highlighting the important role PAHO/WHO has played during the crisis.
In the fight against COVID-19, PAHO/WHO has been providing technical cooperation to national authorities in response planning, equipping laboratories, case management, reorganization of health services, risk communication and care for vulnerable populations, among other strategic pillars of the health response to the pandemic.