SAN JOSE (AFP) - Costa Rica was expected to receive its first batch of Covid-19 vaccines late on Wednesday (Dec 23) and planned to start vaccinations the following day, joining Mexico among the Latin American countries to begin mass immunisation campaigns.

"Tonight, we are going to receive the first vaccines. Tomorrow, the first Costa Ricans will be vaccinated," President Carlos Alvarado said at a news conference.

"It is positive news for our country because it may be the beginning of the end of this pandemic," he added.

The shipment will contain 9,750 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Costa Rica last week announced it had approved the vaccine, though it said at the time supply would not be available until the first quarter of 2021.

Health workers and the elderly will be the first to receive jabs.

Costa Rica, a country of about five million people, had recorded more than 160,000 coronavirus cases as of Wednesday, with 2,065 deaths.

Like many other countries, its health system is under severe strain due to the sheer number of Covid-19 patients.

Elsewhere in Latin America, Mexico will also begin vaccinations on Christmas Eve, using its first batch of 3,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

Chile was scheduled to start next week, while Argentina was awaiting delivery of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine.