Covid-19: Panama to vaccinate tourists from October in pioneer initiative in Latin America

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – It is estimated that the “Vacutur-Panama” initiative, which will make the country the first in Latin America to vaccinate tourists, will represent an “economic injection of over US$125 million” and will contribute to the reactivation of over 100,000 jobs in the tourism sector.

The Council of Ministers has given its approval to the Ministry of Health (MINSA) for the AstraZeneca vaccine to be administered to travelers entering the country who are over 30 years of age, the group receiving this vaccine in the country.

The vaccine will be “totally free” for passengers who meet all the parameters of the “Vacutur-Panama” program, a Panama Tourism Authority (ATP) source said.

The ATP explained Friday in a statement that travelers interested in being vaccinated should apply only through participating hotels and travel agencies approved for the program, must be at least 30 years of age and book at least 2 nights in a hotel.

Tourists will be able to choose between staying in Panama for the 6 weeks required to receive their second dose or returning at the time of their second appointment.

“This initiative by Panama is a sign of solidarity and an effort to help expand global access to the vaccine particularly for residents of neighboring countries with lower vaccination rates and provides another source of much needed support for the tourism industry,” said ATP Administrator Ivan Eskildsen.

The vaccination points will be located in the capital’s shopping malls, and the initiative will coincide with the “Black Week” shopping promotion from September 30 to October 10, ATP said.

The economic activity of the hotel and restaurant sector slumped 55.8% in 2020, impacted by mobility restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid-19, and hundreds of these businesses are still closed or will no longer operate due to the crisis. Hotel occupancy is currently under 10%, according to data from the Panamanian Hotel Association (APATEL).

In Panama, a country of 4.28 million inhabitants, over half of the population has been administered the two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, and this week Operation PanaVac announced the start of immunization of all residents in national territory, ensuring that “there is no risk of nationals being deprived of vaccines,” the tourism entity assured.

Up to Friday, 5,323,318 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine had been administered in Panama: 4,578,921 Pfizer and 744,397 AstraZeneca doses, MINSA reported.

Panama on Friday added 324 new Covid-19 cases and 3 deaths from the disease, reaching 463,783 confirmed infections and 7,169 deaths from the disease in over 17 months of pandemic. There are 72 patients hospitalized with the coronavirus in Intensive Care Units (ICU) and 233 in wards, while 3,279 are in home isolation and 165 in hotels, for a total of 4,199 active cases.

On Friday, 7,231 tests were performed to detect Covid cases, with a positivity rate of 4.4%.