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Thursday 3rd March 2022.

March 3, 2022

 

The epidemiological report of the Ministry of Health (Minsa), from this Wednesday, March 2, registers 232 new infections and 4 deaths from Covid-19, in the last 24 hours. With these new figures, the accumulated number of of deaths, also adding one from a previous date, is now 8,098. In order to arrive at the number of new infections, 3,528 tests were applied for positivity  of 6.6%. There are 4,603 active cases, of which 4,421 are in home isolation and 182 hospitalized. Those in isolation are divided into 4,381 at home and 40 in hotels. Those hospitalized are 154 pacients in the wards and 28 in the intensive care unit.

The Ministry of Health (Minsa) confirmed this Wednesday, March 2, the first two cases in Panama of the BA.2 sub lineage of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 . Lourdes Moreno, national head of Epidemiology of the Minsa, announced that these two cases were reported by the Gorgas Memorial Institute. “Right now we are facing the expectation of seeing that these people have been isolated cases and not a community spread as has been the case with Omicron BA.1,” The official explained that so far in other countries it has been seen that it has greater transmissibility, but that it is not known how severe the disease can be with this sublineage.

A group of 89 teachers undertook this Wednesday morning the trip to different regions of difficult access for the start of the 2022 school year, next Monday, March 7. The Ministry of Education (Meduca) reported that this is the second transfer of educators to remote areas. On this occasion they traveled to schools in the province of Darién and the Emberá Wounaan region. This transfer process began on February 19, when 1,753 teachers arrived in areas of difficult access in the provinces of Bocas del Toro and Darién.

Every year an average of more than 6,000 complaints arrive at the Public Ministry (MP) for the alleged commission of crimes against freedom and sexual integrity, but few convictions come out of the judicial system. Data from the Public Minstry reveal that between 2016 and 2021, 36,973 complaints were filed and in this same period, 3,990 cases of this type of crime were resolved in the Judicial Branch. In other words, the call by the authorities to file complaints for this type of crime has had the desired effect on the public, but in the courts it goes at a different speed.

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) clarified that it is not part of the investment arbitration filed by Sacyr, SA against the Republic of Panama, since this must be dealt with by the Ministry of Economy and Finance on behalf of the Panamanian State. As for the proceedings filed by the contractor Grupo Unidos por el Canal, SA (GUPC) and its shareholders Sacyr, Jan de Nul and Webuild (formerly Impregilo) against the Canal, two arbitrations and one appeal are still in process.

In the first 30 months of government, the President of the Republic, Laurentino Cortizo, used $16.8 million on a discretionary basis. The data corresponds to what was disbursed between July 2019 and December 2021. Meanwhile, deputies Gabriel Silva and Juan Diego Vásquez, from the independent caucus of the National Assembly (AN), seek to advance with a legislative initiative that would put a definitive end to it. to the use of public funds at presidential discretion. The two jointly filed a bill to eliminate all discretionary items at the state level. Bill 234 was presented on February 15 and is expected to be approved in the Assembly’s Budget Committee.

Agents of the National Aeronaval Service (Senan) seized 1,241 packages of alleged drugs, which were transferred in a speedboat by three men to the south of Otoque Island. According to Senan, the speedboat was located by its aircraft, so it was possible to interrupt the trajectory of the boat’s crew. The agents chased the crew of the boat and managed to capture and secure the alleged drug they were transporting.

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