Friday
Friday 21st January 2022.
January 21, 2022
In the last 24 hours, 12,351 new Covid-19 infections were registered in the country , which brings the accumulated cases to 614,957, reveals the epidemiological report of the Ministry of Health (Minsa) , from this Thursday. 10 deaths are also reported and one death from an earlier date is updated for an accumulated death toll of 7,565 and a lethality of 1.2%. To find the new infections, 36,057 tests were applied for a positivity of 34.3%, reported the Minsa. While the active cases amount to 77,438, of which 76,738 are in home isolation and 700 hospitalized. Those in isolation are divided into 76,228 at home and 510 in hospital hotels. There are 629 patients in the wards and 71 in the intensive care units.
Panama received this Thursday the third batch of pediatric vaccines against the new coronavirus to continue the immunization process for children between 5 and 11 years of age. The shipment that arrived consists of 60,000 doses from the Pfizer laboratory. To date, health authorities have received 180,000 pediatric doses against Covid-19. Panama began the immunization of children between 5 and 11 years of age on January 7 and from this yesterday to Sunday the vaccination is being carried out in circuits 8-6 and 8-10, in the province of Panama.
Once endorsed by the Comptroller General of the Republic, the contract negotiated by the Government and the company Minera Panamá will be valid for 20 years. This was reported by the Minister of Commerce and Industries (MICI), Ramón Martínez , who pointed out that the concessionaire will have the option of requesting an extension for a similar period of time. Martínez commented that they expect the drafting process of the new document, as well as the respective approvals, to take 2 months.
Members of the Association of Mayors of Panama (Adalpa), the Association of Municipalities of Panama (Amupa) and the Municipal Council of Panama met with the Comptroller General of the Republic, Gerardo Solís, prior to the next review of their mobilization expenses and per diems. Solís required the councilors and mayors, in addition to the constitutional and legal support of each of their agreements, the justification and documentary information that supports the use and position of the resources.
The mayor of Las Tablas, Ángel Barrios Barahona, considered that given the situation that the country is experiencing due to Covid-19, the Carnivals in this district should be suspended this year. Barrios Barahona stressed that several aspects have to be analyzed because the Carnival not only generates income for the district, since the economic movement reaches the provinces of Los Santos and Herrera. However, at the same time he warned that the health issue with the coronavirus must be addressed. “You have to balance the weight. What weighs more, health or economics? We think that this year’s Carnivals should be suspended due to Covid-19, which is attacking the entire country,” said the mayor of Las Tablas. In recent days, the Municipality of Santiago, province of Veraguas, announced the suspension of this festive activity, also due to the pandemic.
Waldemar Herrera, of the National Police, confirmed on Thursday morning, that in the operation “Genesis 2022″, 172 people were apprehended in the last 24 hours. Herrera explained that agents from the joint task force participated in that operation, in which three firearms were also seized. He added that a total of 50 search warrants were carried out throughout the country, in which 23 foreigners were also “retained” for committing various “misdemeanors.” Of the 172 people apprehended, a total of 116 were for pending offences, 38 for administrative offenses, 13 for flagrancy and 5 for micro-trafficking. They also seized 643 drug packages and 314 rounds of ammunition. Plus 7,729 dollars with 65 cents in cash and 12 vehicles.
The construction of the road that will connect Caimitillo with the new Panama North road, known as Corredor de Los Pobres, began this Thursday, with a groundbreaking ceremony by the Minister of Public Works, Rafael Sabonge, and local authorities. It is a road of almost 6 kilometers that will benefit those who live in residential areas such as San Lorenzo, Colinas de Las Cumbres and Cumbre Azul.
Carlos Allen, president of the Panamanian Chamber of Construction (Capac), revealed that the Panamanian government owes contractors around 300 million dollars. Allen explained that Capac has collected information from different companies and contractors of the union, which has allowed estimating the amount of the debt. “These are very dynamic amounts, today it could be this figure, tomorrow it could be another one”, the union leader clarified. He added that for many months they have been consistent in insisting that the Government pay those overdue bills. “This is in line with an economic reactivation, which has to take place, which we have been suffering since March 2020”, with the worst economic crisis due to the pandemic that has affected Panama and the world.
President Laurentino Cortizo gave the green light to the creation of the Development Planning Institute which will be attached to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) . Through Executive Decree No. 6 of January 14, 2022, the president authorized the creation of this institute, which will have the objective of “strengthening the planning function of the National Government and the long-term vision of development that ensures the transformations that the country demands for an inclusive and sustainable development”.