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

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Covid-19 positivity rises to 25.4% in Panama

Posted 28/12/2023

A key indicator of the COVID-19 pandemic is the positivity of cases, which is 25.4% in the country, when the threshold recommended by the World Health Organization to assess that the pandemic is controlled is 5%.

The Department of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Health (Minsa) details that in the last epidemiological week, No.51 (from December 17 to 23) 3,020 COVID-19 tests were carried out.

The epidemiology document highlights that 766 new cases of the respiratory disease were confirmed, of which 716 cases are active (673 in isolation, 42 hospitalized in the ward, and 2 in intensive care units).

The positivity that occurs this week is higher than that registered from December 18 to 24, 2022, which was 12%, out of a total of 23,498 tests. Although the number of tests was greater than those registered this year.

Don’t self-medicate 
The head of the Epidemiology department of the Minsa Lourdes Moreno reiterated the call to Panamanians not to self-medicate and to go to health centers for tests if they have any respiratory symptoms, which she said are common on this date, but that it can be COVID-19, influenza and even dengue.

She added that in the epidemiology report for week No. 50 (last week), the positivity was at 16.5%, with 36 people hospitalized with some chronic diseases or not vaccinated this year.

The official highlighted that both dengue and COVID-19 present similar symptoms such as fever, headache, body discomfort, sore throat, and nausea; which is causing people not to come to check what type of virus is making them sick.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/covid-19-positivity-rises-to-254-in-panama

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This is not 25% of a random sample. It's 25% of people who went for a test beacuse they were showing repiratory symptoms

 

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Social Security Hospital enables two wards to cope with rising COVID-19 cases

Posted 05/01/2024

Given the increase in COVID-19 cases, the Social Security Fund (CSS) announced on Friday, January 5,  that it has enabled two wards containing 30 beds at the Arnulfo Arias Madrid hospital complex, located on the Transístmica highway.

 Five new deaths from COVID-19 in Panama and the first case of the JN.1 lineage is reported.

The latest Epidemiology report from the Ministry of Health (Minsa) reports that during epidemiological week No. 52, from December 24 to December 20, 2,234 new positive cases of COVID-19 were confirmed.

The positivity rate was 35.9%, out of a total of 6,216 tests performed, exceeding the positivity threshold recommended by the World Health Organization, which is 5%.

Yelkys Gill, national executive director of CSS Health Services and Benefits, explained that this measure joins those already recently resumed, such as the use of masks in facilities for patients and officials with respiratory symptoms, as well as swab testing As reported, the strategy is accompanied by guidance from CSS officials on the correct use of face masks and the importance of hand washing, to avoid diseases such as flu, colds and covid-19.

Gill reiterated that there is a significant increase in COVID-19 cases in the country, including patients who need hospitalization. “We are also working with the medical directors of all the hospitals in the country to articulate the Covid Surveillance Committees,”

“We are already seeing a trend towards an increase in cases and we are acting quickly,” said Darío Flores, an infectious disease doctor at the CSS.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/social-security-hospital-enables-two-wards-to-cope-with-rising-covid-19-cases

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Covid-19 positivity at 32.9 % - nine deaths

 Posted 10/01/2024

Panama maintains a positivity rate for covid-19 of 32.5% said the Ministry of Health (Minsa) on Wednesday, January 10.

In addition, during epidemiological week No. 1 of 2024, (Sunday, December 31, 2023 to Saturday, January 6, 2024) 2,680 new positive cases of covid-19 were confirmed.

A total of 1,055,998 infections have been reported in the country since March 2020, when the first case of the virus was detected.

According to the Minsa, in that last epidemiological week, 8,237 tests were carried out, for a positivity percentage of 32.5%.

Currently, there are 2,388 active cases, of which 2,318 are in home isolation and 70 hospitalized (65 in the ward and 5 in intensive care units), “raising the total number since the beginning of the pandemic by 1,055,998,” the entity recalled.

The total number of recoveries, during week No. 1 of 2024, was 2,365 patients, and seven deaths were recorded in week No. 1 and two (2) deaths in week 52, for a cumulative of 9 deaths, which raises to 8,688 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

The townships with the most confirmed cases in the detailed period are San Francisco (Panama) with 155, Juan Díaz (Panama) with 122, Bella Vista (Panama) with 116; Rufina Alfaro (San Miguelito) with 115 and David (Chiriquí) with 109.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/covid-19-positivity-at-329-nine-deaths

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Updated Covid-19  vaccine arrives in Panama

 Posted 18/01/2024

A new batch with 186,000 doses of vaccines against COVID-19 arrived at the Ministry of Health (Minsa), on the morning of Thursday, January 18.

They are bivalent vaccines that have to counteract the effects of the XBB 1.5 omicron variant, which according to specialists, is the one that has mostly generated the 1,800 cases and nearly 15 deaths that were recorded in the first weeks of 2024. They will be applied from Monday to Friday from 7:00 am in all Minsa medical centers.

Itzel de Hewitt, a Minsa vaccine coordinator explained that a single dose will be given to the population that already has two or more doses of the previous covid vaccine. However, those who do not have any doses will be given three doses of the new vaccine.

The new doses will be applied by the nursing teams at the health centers. It is estimated that around 4,800 will be applied to children from 6 months to 4 years old, and around 149,000 will be applied to the population over 12 years old.

Given the increase in COVID-19 cases in the country, with 15 deaths so far this year health authorities have called on the population to get vaccinated and maintain self-care measures.

During the week of January 2 to 14, the Minsa Epidemiology report shows that 1,843 new positive cases of COVID-19 were reported, raising the accumulated number of confirmed cases to 1,057,841 since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/updated-covid-19-vaccine-arrives-in-panama-1