Panama and the Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic. Omicron and beyond

[Moderator_03]

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COVID-19: Twelve deaths 171 hospitalized

Posted 23/08/2022

A total of 12 deaths from covid-19 were registered in Panama in the epidemiological week from August 14 to 20, according to the latest report from the Department of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Health (Minsa).raising the total number of deaths in Panama since the covid-19 pandemic began, to 8,456. Those hospitalized in the ward were 154 and in the ICU 17 patients.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/covid-19-twelve-deaths-171-hospitalized

[Moderator_03]

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Clandestine vaccination hearing rescheduled

Posted 01/09/2022

The intermediate hearing scheduled for  Thursday, September 1 for the case of clandestine vaccination against covid-19 carried out in June 2021 was suspended.

This is due to the fact that lawyer Julio Pinzón, legal representative of Matías Pérez Escudero – the only detainee in the case – presented a medical certificate of incapacity.

The case has been moved to November 3, at 8.30 a.m.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/clandestine-vaccination-hearing-rescheduled

[Moderator_03]

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Carnivals could be back next year

Posted 10/09/2022

After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Panama could celebrate carnivals next year 2023 reports TVN.

"We aspire to have peaceful national holidays and enjoy the parades that we miss so much (...) Cases may increase, but that will be normal," said Health Minister Luis Francisco Sucre.

According to Sucre, it will be up to a technical commission to present the results of the evaluation to the President, Laurentino Cortizo, and the president would be responsible for deciding.

A total of 3,641 new cases of covid-19 were confirmed by the Ministry of Health for the week of August 28 to September 3.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/carnivals-could-be-back-next-year

[Moderator_03]

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Panama eliminates sanitary measures for travelers entering the country

By Adrian Prozzo on September 17, 2022 in News from Panama

The Ministry of Health (Minsa), assured that it will no longer be necessary to request the QR and swabs from travelers entering Panama, as part of the sanitary measures established to control the pandemic.

This determination is due to Executive Decree No. 122 of September 14, where the National Government eliminates some sanitary provisions established for the management of the pandemic in the country.

Since its promulgation, physical distancing is also eliminated, as well as capacity in places of high attendance, which have been maintained to avoid the increase in cases of Covid-19. However, the Ministry of Health (MINSA) as the rector of the state’s health policies, reiterates to the population to maintain self-care measures and the use of the mask in crowded places as a preventive measure, especially in people over 60 years of age and those who suffer from chronic diseases.

https://panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com/blog/news-from-panama/panama-eliminates-sanitary-measures-travelers-entering-country/

[Moderator_03]

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COVID-19: 725 new cases, one death

Posted 18/10/2022

In the weekly epidemiological report, the Ministry of Health (Minsa) reported that, from October 9 to 15, 725 new cases of covid-19 and one death.

In the last week they applied a total of 21,422 tests to detect covid-19. Positivity is at 3.3%.

There are 929 active cases, of which 857 are isolated at home, 65 hospitalized in a ward and 7 in intensive care units.

Panama has applied 8,652,344 doses of the vaccine against covid-19, of which 3,508,873 are first doses; 3,156,322 second doses; 1,727,806 first reinforcement and 242,263 second reinforcement. A total of 475,064 are pediatric doses.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/covid-19-725-new-cases-one-death

[Moderator_03]

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No covid deaths, 603 new cases

Panama did not register any deaths from covid-19 in the epidemiological week from Sunday, October 16 to Saturday, October 22, according to the latest report of the Ministry of Health. For the epidemiological week in which 19,022 tests were carried out, 603 new positive cases were registered, for positivity of 3.1% The total number of deaths in Panama to date, since the covid-19 pandemic began, is 8,506. The total number of active cases is 819 with 70 hospitalized in the ward and two in ICU.

Posted 25/10/2022

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/no-covid-deaths-603-new-cases

[Moderator_03]

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Sixth wave of COVID - 19 arrives in Panama

Posted 16/11/2022

 The Minister of Health, Luis Francisco Sucre, reported on Wednesday, November 16, that the country is going through the sixth wave of Covid-19.

The announcement by the Minister of Health is due to the fact that in recent weeks an increase in positivity in cases has been reflected in Panama. He recommended not letting your guard down and reinforcing biosecurity measures.

According to the latest epidemiological report from the Ministry of Health (Minsa), corresponding to week 45 (Sunday, November 6 to Saturday, November 12, 22), 1,372 positive cases were reported in 17,968 tests for a percentage of positivity of 

There were six covid-19 deaths six in the last week.

The isolated patients are 1,495 this week, while people in the Covid ward increased by 92 per day and in the Intensive Care Unit, there are 7.

The corregimientos with the most active cases in the country are Juan Díaz (20), San Francisco (20), Ancón (18), Don Bosco (12) and Bella Vista (11), all from the province of Panama.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/sixth-wave-of-covid-19-arrives-in-panama-1

[Moderator_03]

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Health Ministry readies for the sixth wave of Covid -19

Posted 18/11/2022

The variants that are generating the sixth wave of covid 19, according to the Gorgas Memorial Institute, are 70% BA.5 and B.2.1, which is the one that has been detected in recent days.

The variants, despite having high transmissibility, the Panamanian health system has not yet suffered the effect, confirmed by the director of epidemiology Lourdes Moreno.

She said that the capacity of the Ministry of Health has not been diminished, but they are carrying out t evaluations of the installed capacity to be ready at a given moment.

The regions with the highest incidence rate are Herrera, Los Santos, and Panamá Norte, for which she called on people to continue with biosecurity measures, use masks in places that have crowds, and those who have not completed their vaccination schedule to get protected.

"This is a matter of self-care, self-protection because the pandemic has not gone away," she said.

The doctor stressed the importance of people not assuming that they are suffering from a cold and go to get tested, since they could be expanding the chain of contagion both at home and at work, and if the disease becomes complicated, and could compromise the lungs and reach the hospital in serious condition.

She recalled that the most vulnerable people are the same as before: older adults, people with chronic diseases or immunosuppressed.

She called on parents to take their children to be vaccinated because the situation with the respiratory syncytial virus is getting more complicated.

She said that the use of masks is still mandatory on public transport, health facilities, and food handlers.

Moreno said that people who have not completed their vaccination scheme can go to health centers and polyclinics to be inoculated, and insisted on parents protect their children from the respiratory syncytial virus that is filling children's wards.

 “The last thing you want is to have a respiratory virus coinfection with covid-19.”

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/health-ministry-readies-for-the-sixth-wave-of-covid-19

[Moderator_03]

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Mandatory use of masks  returns to Panama schools

Posted 26/11/2022

With the spread of the sixth wave of covid-19 in the country, the use of masks will once again be mandatory in official and private educational centers in central Panama.

 Petra de Franco the Director General of Education of Central Panama, made the announcement in a circular sent to the educational centers of the school region of Central Panama that includes the district of Panama.

Alcohol gel, alcohol, and the necessary biosecurity measures must also be used in the schools, in order to avoid the closure of educational centers and the spread of the virus, the document warned.

The health authorities of Panama have said that the country is going through a sixth wave of covid-19, with 17% positivity and the call to the population to maintain self-care measures has been reiterated.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/mandatory-use-of-masks-returns-to-panama-schools

[Moderator_03]

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Covid-19 positivity climbs to 20% - don’t let your guard down

Posted 27/11/2022

During the last 15 days, the Ministry of Health (Minsa) has warned about the increase in cases of covid-19 in the country and on Friday President  Cortizo warned that positivity reached 20%, and the Ministry of Education (ordered the mandatory use of masks in all schools in the capital district.

“Right now we are in a sixth wave. Yesterday [Thursday] 6,062 tests were carried out and 1,210 positive cases came out, that is, we are talking about 20% positivity and it has been increasing in the last 10 days, ”he indicated.

According to Minsa statistics, the last time a 20% positivity was reported was in mid-August.

The director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Carissa Etienne, asked the countries of the region not to relax in the face of the increase in cases. “The situation can change quickly. Every time we rest on our laurels with this virus, we risk a resurgence. We cannot let our guard down,” she warned.

She also reminded us that as we approach the holiday season and an increase in travel, people must remain vigilant about all these health threats and learn from the lessons of covid-19.

91% of deaths from covid-19 are those who have not completed the full vaccination schedule.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/covid-19-positivity-climbs-to-20-dont-let-your-guard-down

[Moderator_03]

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New covid variants detected in Panama

Posted 30/11/2022

The Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Studies (Icges) has identified the circulation of two new lineages of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in Panama.

This is the BE.1.2 lineage detected in countries such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Costa Rica; as well as the BQ.1.1 that also circulates in France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Canada.

The head of the Department of Genomics and Proteomics Research, Alexander Martínez, indicated that in the last three weeks of November 45 samples have been sequenced, of which 59% correspond to the BE.1.2 lineage, a descendant lineage of the Ómicron variant.

Eduardo Ortega Barría, explained that the new lineages that have emerged from Ómicron are more transmissible, better evade the immune response and multiply more efficiently, but there is no evidence that they cause more severe disease.

The Omicron bloodlines have a preference for the upper respiratory tract consisting of the nose, nasal cavity, mouth, throat (pharynx), and larynx. While the original variants or those that emerged at the beginning of the pandemic affected more at the pulmonary and systemic levels.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/new-covid-variants-detected-in-panama

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Covid-19  hospitalizations increasing for four weeks

Health system better able to adapt to increase in covid cases

Posted 08/12/2022

The number of patients hospitalized this year in wards and intensive care units (ICU) during the first days of December is higher than that reported for the same period last year.

The Epidemiology reports of the Ministry of Health (Minsa) show that the epidemiological week from November 27 to December 3 closed with 164 hospitalized patients, of whom 160 were in the ward and four in the ICU.

The figure is higher than the number reported last year when it amounted to 116 hospitalized patients for the same period (98 in the ward and 18 in the ICU).

The Minsa authorities assure that the majority of people who are requiring hospitalization both in the ward and in the ICU are not vaccinated, do not have the full vaccination schedule, or suffer from some comorbidity.

The number of patients hospitalized in the ward and those whose clinical situation worsens and requires admission to an ICU has been increasing for four consecutive weeks, although the majority are in the ward.

The key indicator in this new phase of the covid-19 pandemic is the number of patients hospitalized in the ward and those whose clinical situation worsens and requires admission to an ICU.

The epidemiologist and public health specialist, Arturo Rebellón, indicated that one advantage the country has in the face of this sixth wave of covid-19 is the high coverage of people vaccinated with its reinforcements reports La Prensa.

He added that the strategy should be focused on reducing risk in those most likely to die.

In addition, Rebollón stressed that the health system is much better now than two years ago to adapt to an acceleration of respiratory diseases.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/covid-19-hospitalizations-increasing-for-four-weeks-2

[Moderator_03]

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Hospital beds occupied by patients who ignored vaccination call

Posted 09/12/2022

Patients without a vaccine against COVID-19 or with an incomplete scheme occupy the beds in the the Nicolás A. Solano Hospital in the La Chorrera district

A hospital review shows the lack of receptivity of the population to the call made by the   Ministry of Health (Minsa)to go to health facilities to apply the vaccine against the virus that arrived in the country in March 2020.

The hospital director, Eliécer Santamaría,  said that hospitalized patients with COVID-19 are of all ages, but older adults who require oxygen as life support stand out.  

Santamaría did not give details of the total number of hospitalized patients but indicated that half have two vaccines, four with three doses and only one patient had four.  He indicated that this last patient has a "mild " picture of the disease, despite having comorbidities. 

The director said that they set up a room, which was previously used for pediatric observation, with 18 beds and a cot to care for patients with COVID-19 and have medical supplies such as oxygen, medicines, and personal health protection equipment. 

The provincial director of the Minsa, in West Panama, Kevin Cedeño, like Santamaría, reported that hospitalized patients do not have their full vaccination schedule.

Cedeño maintained that  Panama Oeste currently maintains 1,036 active cases of COVID-19, with the district of Arraiján occupying first place with 648 confirmed cases.

The 1,036 confirmed cases in Panama West are part of the 7,091 reported by the Minsa in week 48, from November 27 to December 3. 

Doctor Francisco Sánchez Cárdenas, who participates in a commission created by the Minsa to attend to everything related to the arrival of the virus, called on the population not to panic due to the new rebound in this disease.

Annual vaccination "With this disease, we will have to live from now on and we must get vaccinated, as is done with the flu, depending on the strain that predominates, every year,"  stressed Sánchez Cárdenas. In addition, he attributed the rise in cases to factors such as the decision to lift some biosecurity measures and the appearance of variants of the virus with greater contagion capacity. 

For Sánchez Cárdenas, the decision to lift some restrictions was the correct one, because with the application of the vaccines and the participation of the community due to the appearance of the COVID-19 cases, but everything changed with the appearance of new variants of the virus, although less deadly have more capacity to infect people.

" The virus mutations arrived at a time when the immune capacity of the vaccinated apparently has decreased," said the doctor, while recommending the use of the mask for people over 55.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/hospital-beds-occupied-by-patients-who-ignored-vaccination-call

[Moderator_03]

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COVID-19: Call to vaccinate children as cases mount

Posted 10/12/2022

Given the increase in COVID-19 infections in children who are still not vaccinated, the epidemiologist, Xavier Saéz Llorens, has called on parents to inoculate their children against the virus.

Saéz Llorens reported on his Twitter account that among seven being treated for the virus at the Hospital del Nino (Children’s Hospital) there are two seriously ill infants precisely because they were not vaccinated against the coronavirus.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/covid-19-call-to-vaccinate-children-as-cases-mount

[Brundageba]

On 12/10/2022 at 7:52 AM, Moderator_03 said:

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/hospital-beds-occupied-by-patients-who-ignored-vaccination-call

If the article is scrutinized you'll see the literary "twist".  The medical powers that be reporting to the local Panama  press are defining VACCINATED as having taken the full series which now apparently is 4 shots by their definition.   My personal definition of vaccinated is that it is SAFE and EFFECTIVE.  It does not appear to be effective and "safe" is still being studied.

Alison Brundage, R. N. , R.T. B.S.N 

[Moderator_03]

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Use of masks  urged as covid-19 cases mount

Posted 13/12/2022

Among the factors  driving an increase in infections in the country during the sixth wave of covid-19 are the relaxation of biosecurity measures and the celebration of mass events.

The National Secretary for Science, Technology and Innovation, Eduardo Ortega Barría, added that there are people who already have more than 6 months since the last dose of the covid-19 vaccine, so the immune response has been declining.

He also recalled that two waves of infections by the disease originate in the country every year and that now the mask is not mandatory in closed spaces, but only in public transport, health facilities and food outlets.

The Ministry of Health (Minsa) since July 11 lifted the health measure of the mandatory use of the mask in closed spaces on July 11. In open spaces it was on March 29.

The infectologist, pediatrician and clinical researcher, Xavier Sáez Llorens, stressed that another aspect is the circulation of variants with greater transmissibility and partial evasion of immunity due to vaccination or previous infection.

The latest data from the Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Studies show that 59% of the sequenced samples correspond to the BE.1.2 lineage, a descendant variant of the Omicron variant.

It is a lineage that has two changes in the spike protein (Spike, protein S) called R346T and V445A, which have been associated with increased immune escape.

Immune escape refers to less effective protection in people who have been vaccinated or who have already been sick against certain viral strains responsible for covid-19. These people have developed antibodies that give them immunity for several months, which will wane over time.

The other lineage d is BQ.1.1, which is currently a variant of interest by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. That is, there are two different variants in circulation.

Sáez Llorens, says there must be greater emphasis on the use of a mask, especially for high-risk people.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/use-of-masks-urged-as-covid-19-cases-mount

[Moderator_03]

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COVID-19: Metropolitan Health Region near 2,000 active cases

Posted 21/12/2022

The Metropolitan Health Region registered Wednesday  1,950 active cases of Covid-19 in the midst of the sixth wave of the pandemic.

It was reported that of the 1,950 active, there is a high incidence in the corregimientos of Juan Diaz, Don Bosco, San Francisco, Bella Vista, and Ancón. There are 72 people hospitalized due to the virus.

The latest epidemiological report issued by the Ministry of Health (Minsa), says that between December 11 and 17, 4,990 new infections were registered.

The total active cases nationwide reported until Saturday, December 17, were 6,761.

The health authorities remind the population that health teams continue to apply free vaccines against influenza and covid-19 in the Health Centers of the Minsa and Polyclinics of the Social Security Fund

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/covid-19-metropolitan-health-region-near-2000-active-cases

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13 Covid-19 deaths in Christmas Week

Posted 28/12/2022

The number of deaths from covid-19 rose to thirteen, during the epidemiological week from Sunday, December 18 to Saturday, December 24 bringing fatalities from the disease since the pandemic began to 8,568. During the week 23,498 tests were carried out, and 2,817 positive cases were registered, for a positivity of 12%. The total number of active cases is 4,076. There are 120 hospitalized in the ward and 5 in the ICU The total doses of vaccines applied against covid-19 until December 24 was 8,696,949.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/13-covid-19-deaths-in-christmas-week

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COVID-19: Ten deaths  in the first  week  of 2023

Posted 11/01/2023

Panama registered 10 new deaths from covid-19 in the first epidemiological week of 2023  from Sunday, January 1 to Saturday, January 7 bringing the total since the pandemic began to  8,584 people. During the epidemiological week, 17,839 tests were administered and, 1,403 positive cases were registered, for positivity of 7.9%. The total active cases until January 7 were 2,086, those hospitalized in the ward were 99 and in the ICU there were 3 patients.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/covid-19-ten-deaths-in-the-first-week-of-2023

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Post-covid alcohol blues

Posted 20/01/2023

 Although Post-covid alcohol intolerance has not been studied in depth yet, so no one knows how common it actually is, interviews with doctors, researchers, and people who are no longer able to drink alcohol suggest it’s yet another mysterious symptom that could be a side effect of the viral infection reports Newser.

After getting COVID in early 2021, “for the rest of that spring and summer, I just really, really struggled if I had one drink. I would wake up so hungover, terrible headaches, and super tired,” said Serena Quinlan, a law student in Tennessee. “It was so bizarre.”

Long COVID occurs when health problems last for weeks, months, or even years after a coronavirus infection. Alcohol intolerance, on the other hand, is generally an inherited metabolic disorder that prevents people from processing alcohol the way other people do. Some medical experts theorize that post-COVID alcohol intolerance is linked to liver damage and blood flow issues, but the condition has not been thoroughly studied yet.

Although being able to drink alcohol isn't the most earth-shattering of symptoms compared with more serious effects, experts hope understanding what’s happening could help unpack long COVID’s broader effects on the body. For now, doctors have one main piece of advice for people experiencing alcohol intolerance: Refrain from drinking

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/post-covid-alcohol-blues

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Where to get your bivalent anti-covid vaccine post-carnival

Posted 19/02/2023

The Expanded Immunization Program (PAI) of the Ministry of Health (Minsa) reports that until February 13,  118,918 doses of the bivalent vaccine against covid-19 from the pharmaceutical duo Pfizer / BioNTech have been administered.  

The application of these doses will resume free of charge on Thursday, February 23    in the health facilities of the Minsa and the Social Security Fund, as well as in subway stations (5 de Mayo, Santo Tomás hospital, Carmen church, La Doña, and Los Pueblos). and private hospitals.

The vaccine is applied to people older than 12 years of age and who have had at least two doses of the monovalent vaccine.

The goal of updated booster vaccinations is to help restore protection, which has declined since the previous vaccination and provides broader protection against subvariants of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/where-to-get-your-bivalent-anti-covid-vaccine-post-carnival

[Moderator_03]

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Mandatory mask use ends except in health units

Posted 20/03/2023

The mandatory use of a mask on public transport and for food handlers will end once the announcement appears in the Official  Gazette the Minister of Health, Luis Francisco Sucre, said on Monday, 

However, the minister clarified that the use of masks in health facilities will be mandatory. At the same time, he suggested that patients with chronic diseases continue to use it as a protective measure.

At the beginning of June 2020, three months after the covid-19 virus arrived in the country, the use of a mask was mandatory at the national level, both in open and closed spaces.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/mandatory-mask-use-ends-except-in-health-units

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WHO declares end of covid-19 pandemic

Health Mimister Sucre - masks remain mandatory in health centers.

Posted 05/05/2023

During its 15th meeting to discuss the pandemic, the Emergency Committee of the International Health Regulations of the World Health Organization (WHO) together with the director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced that the health emergency due to the covid-19 pandemic has ended.

"For more than a year, the pandemic has had a downward trend," Tedros said during a press conference on Friday, May 5. Likewise, He clarified that the virus continues to circulate in practically all the countries of the world, for which he called on governments to continue monitoring its progress.

The Minister of Health of Panama, Luis Francisco Sucre, indicated that the end of the health emergency is an important step to continue eliminating the state of the pandemic and subsequently remain in an endemic stage.

“The world has constantly advanced in everything related to Covid-19, the WHO announced the elimination of the state of global health emergency and it should be remembered that in Panama this had already been lifted with respect to the administrative issue, but what does remain in the whole world is in the pandemic stage,” Sucre said.

However, the mandatory measure for the use of a mask in all health facilities remains in force .

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/who-declares-end-of-covid-19-pandemic-1

[Moderator_03]

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One death and 753 new cases of covid-19

Posted 25/05/2023

One death and 753 new positive cases of covid-19 were confirmed by the Ministry of Health (Minsa) Wednesday, May 24 for week 20, (May 14 to Saturday, May 20).

Due to covid-19, Panama has registered the deaths of 8,624 people since the declaration of the pandemic in March 2020 until May 2023. During week 20, health personnel in the country carried out 8,428 tests, for a weekly positivity percentage of 8.9%.

Of the confirmed cases, some 682 cases were active, of which 639 were in home isolation, 42 in the covid-19 ward, and one in the intensive care unit.

The total number of recovered patients, during week 20, was 655

The five corregimientos with the most confirmed cases throughout the week, in districts of Panama are, Juan Díaz, with 32 cases; San Francisco, with 30 cases; Bella Vista, with 28 cases and December 24 with 23 cases; In San Miguelito, the corregimiento Amelia Denis de Icaza detected 23 new cases.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/one-death-and-753-new-cases-of-covid-19

[Moderator_03]

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No mask in Health Centers

 Posted 08/12/2023

The President of the Republic, Laurentino Cortizo Cohen, and the Minister of Health, Francisco Sucre, ordered the lifting, through an Executive Decree, of the mandatory use of the masks in all public and private health facilities in the country.

The mandatory use of masks for users, of health facilities was established as part of the health measures adopted by the National Government to avoid, control, and mitigate the spread of the contagious disease called Covid-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants.

However, according to Executive Decree number 65 published in the Official Gazette this Thursday, December 7, 2023, the National Government considers it is prudent to eliminate the mandatory use of masks in all health facilities in the country, public and private, taking into consideration the results achieved by the vaccination strategy against covid-19, the significant decrease in epidemiological indicators, the acquisition of medications of proven efficacy, among other aspects.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/no-mask-in-health-centers