News
Wednesday 3rd March 2021.
March 3, 2021
The epidemiological report of the Ministry of Health (Minsa) of this Tuesday, March 2, highlighted that in the last 24 hours 12 new deaths have been reported due to Covid-19. With the new deaths in the country, there are 5,871 deaths due to the new coronavirus. While this Tuesday 599 new cases of infected were detected. According to the Minsa report, this week an effective reproduction index (Rt) of 0.99 was presented. The previous week one of 0.82 was reported. The Rt is used to indicate that one person can at least infect another person with Covid-19 disease. This is the seventh consecutive week that an Rt is presented below 1. The increase that occurred this week in the effective reproduction index is due to the increase in cases in the Guna Yala region and the provinces of Bocas del Toro, Los Santos and Coclé. This Tuesday 8,418 tests were applied in the country to detect those infected, for a positivity of 6.6%. Meanwhile, 6,852 people are registered in home isolation, of which there are 6,537 at home and 315 in the so-called hospital hotels. While in the ward there are 1,026 patients and in the intensive care units there are 170, that is, 1,196 hospitalized patients.
The fourth batch of vaccines from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer against Covid-19, which this time will be 87,550 doses, was due to arrive in Panama at 2:00 am, this morning, March 3, the Minister of Health Luis Francisco Sucre reported. Sucre said that with this batch it is expected to finish with the second pending doses of phase 1, stage 1B and start phase 2.
So far, the health authorities of the province of Chiriquí have received 17,983 vaccines from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer-BioNTech. Therefore, it has been possible to immunize all health personnel, members of the joint task force, patients bedridden and people with disabilities, said Gladys Novoa, regional director of Health of the Ministry of Health (Minsa).
From this Monday, March 1, a vaccination day began for the personnel who work in the Judicial Branch of the country. The minister of Health clarified that this process will be “in accordance with the protocols, continuing in the provinces with servants of more than 60 years, servants with chronic diseases and judicial servants with disabilities.”
The administrator of the Government Innovation Authority (AIG), Luis Oliva, confirmed that 90% of people over 60 years of age who will receive the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine starting this Thursday in San Miguelito, already verified their appointment. According to what was announced by the Health authorities, between March 4 and 8, some 57,360 people who enter this group and who registered within the platform for vaccines should be vaccinated.
The Government, Justice and Constitutional Affairs Commission of the National Assembly approved this Tuesday, March 2, the resolution by means of which the process for the selection of the Ombudsman begins.
14 days have passed since the plenary session of the National Assembly approved to summon María Inés Castillo, head of the Ministry of Social Development (Mides), and Mayra Inés Silvera, director of the National Secretariat for Children, Adolescents and Family (Senniaf), to answer a questionnaire on the irregularities detected in shelters guarded by that entity. However, the date for this appearance has not yet been set. The reason? The bench of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) would have agreed to lower the profile of the issue.