News
Tuesday 22nd February 2022.
February 22, 2022
The Ministry of Health (Minsa) reported this Monday, 8 deaths caused by Covid-19 and updated 2 from previous dates for a cumulative of 8,029 deaths. Regarding the new infections, it was known, through the epidemiological report of this that 481 were registered in the last 24 hours. To register these new cases, 4,505 tests were applied for a positivity of 10.7%. There are 9,882 active cases, of which 9,587 are in home isolation and 295 hospitalized. Those in isolation are divided into 9,535 at home and 52 in hotels. Those hospitalized are 234 in the ward and 61 in the intensive care unit.
A special team of prosecutors, attached to the Attorney General’s Office, was formed to carry out investigations related to a complaint filed about possible non-consensual sterilization procedures for indigenous women. Since the early hours of this Monday, February 21, this special team has been in the province of Bocas del Toro, from where these complaints came, reported the Public Ministry. The investigation was initiated by a complaint filed on February 17, by Deputy Kayra Harding.
The board of directors of the National Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation (Senacyt) unanimously approved the creation of the Regional Center for Innovation in Vaccines and Biopharmaceuticals (Crivb-AIP) in order to provide the country and the region with the capacity to research, develop and manufacture vaccines and monoclonal antibodies required to face health emergencies. The project, which is divided into phases, has a total estimated cost of $100 million and its funds have been in process since last year, when in June 2021 the National Assembly approved Senacyt an extraordinary credit of $2.5 million to begin the process of creation. Eduardo Ortega Barría, National Secretary of Science, Technology and Innovation (Senacyt), stated that this research center will guarantee the preparation and rapid response against pathogens.
A criminal complaint for the alleged commission of different crimes was filed this Monday, February 21, 2022 in the dispute between the Mexican goldsmith and businessman José Luis Penagos Hernández (RIP) and the one who had been his lawyer since 2013: the current PRD deputy Zulay Rodríguez Lu. As will be recalled, Penagos Hernández accused Rodríguez of having stripped him of 66 gross kilos of gold –according to official documents– from his property, seized by the Customs Directorate when it was in transit to Colombia, in March 2009. On Monday morning, relatives of the deceased Mexican businessman went to the Attorney General’s Office to claim the gold that, as they insist, is his property. According to the complaint, said legal action is against the lawyer Rafael Augusto Araúz Canto (Rodríguez Lu’s partner), Álvaro Ernesto Testa , husband of the pro-government deputy, among other people. The son of the Mexican businessman indicated that among the elements presented to the Panamanian authorities are audios of conversations between his father and Rodríguez. After this, the PRD deputy called a conference where she described what was said by the relatives of the Mexican goldsmith as “falsehoods” and announced that she would file legal action against them. “I am going to show that all this is false, that they have taken on a hair-pulling case to falsely involve me,” she added.
The restrictions in force on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal, so that two neopanamax vessels navigate simultaneously and pass, have led the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) to adopt some measures to try to improve the transit of ships in that area. . They are the widening and deepening of that entrance to the interoceanic highway, with an investment of $102.8 million, and increasing, from 8 to 12, the number of pilots per day in Balboa. For the Chamber of Shipping, these restrictions make Panama less competitive, and in response to this, it has proposed simulation tests of a passing of two neopanamax at the ACP training center.
A total of 53 companies submitted proposals in the single-price tender carried out by the Social Security Fund (CSS) for the supply, storage, transportation and delivery as needed and as required of medicines and parental nutrition solutions. According to the Panama Compra portal, the tender —which includes 408 lines— has a reference price of $211,574,584. The national director of Purchases of the CSS, Ana Cuestas, explained that a technical table will be formed made up of specialists in legal and financial matters, who will evaluate each of the proposals and will be the ones who determine what is the best value of the proposals for each one. of the tendered lines. Among the medicines that are tendered there are analgesics, anti-inflammatories, antiarrhythmics, antidepressants, muscle relaxants, nasal decongestant, vitamins, diuretics.
The National Aqueduct and Sewer Institute (Idaan) reported that it carried out a monitoring plan for the water sources that supply water treatment plants nationwide. To date, visits have been made to the provinces of Colón, Panamá, Panamá Oeste and Coclé. Through these evaluations, data is obtained from the rivers that are found in the raw water intakes, in the national territory, to know the variation of the flows and levels in the dry and rainy season, explained the Idaan, through a statement . The Idaan explained that with the data extracted from the flows, specific measurements are achieved that can serve as the basis for future improvement projects.
The Cobre Panamá project operated by Minera Panamá , a subsidiary of the Canadian First Quantum, generated sales of 3.16 billion dollars during 2021, an increase of 138% compared to 2020. Despite the 8% drop in production during the fourth quarter of last year due to maintenance work at the power plant, the results report indicates that Cobre Panamá was consolidated as the most profitable project of the Canadian mining company. which on January 17, accepted the economic proposal of the Panamanian Government to increase the royalties received by the State.