New pandemic wave with presence of new strains consolidates in Panama (June 29)

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Panamanian government announced new social restriction measures given the consolidation of a new wave of Covid 19 infections, which in the last 24 hours has registered 1,249 new cases, and a positivity rate of 8.7 percent in the 14,244 tests performed.

“The pandemic is still there, it has not ended”, said on Tuesday, the Panamanian Minister of Health Luis Francisco Sucre, during his weekly appearance broadcasted on television for the whole country.

Panamanian health authorities have also warned of the arrival in the country of new variants of Covid 19. They have explained that they are more aggressive, lethal, and can even affect and make sick, although not seriously, vaccinated people.

Sucre warned the younger population, which is the most affected in this third wave, and regretted that “clandestine meetings continue to be held” in violation of the instructions and restrictions issued by the Ministry of Health (MINSA).

The measures adopted today affect several areas of the country outside the capital, where most of Panama’s population and main economic activities are concentrated, and where quarantine is already in effect from 10 PM to 4 AM, established just a few weeks ago to counteract the effects of this third pandemic wave. These measures are limited to increases in quarantine hours or earlier closing times for businesses.

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Sucre insisted that it is necessary to continue using the mask and the social shield and maintain social distancing, even by vaccinated people.

Since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, Panama has registered 402,591 cases of Covid 19, of which 6,536 have resulted in death, maintaining a very low lethality level of 1.6 percent.

Of the 12,389 currently active cases, 11,706 are mild, 575 are in hospital wards, and 108 are in Intensive Care Units (ICU).

With a population of some 4.28 million inhabitants, Panama has so far received a total of 1,807,740 doses of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines, of which 1,501,657 have already been administered. However, only 584 of these are second doses.

The head of MINSA announced during his appearance that, as scheduled, a new batch of 43,290 doses of Pfizer vaccines will arrive in the Panamanian capital on Tuesday night.