The Panamanian doctor and national secretary of the National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT), Eduardo Ortega, assured that Panama, during 2022 will have some more outbreaks of COVID-19, and that we must bear in mind that more variants will come of this disease.
“We are going to have variants worldwide, I believe that omicron is not the last, variants will form in other parts of the world where it has not been efficiently vaccinated and they will spread,” explained the infectious disease specialist.
For the expert, if Panama manages to increase the number of vaccinated, it will be able to keep its borders open, its economy open, its economic activity in a delicate balance, but with growth.
He stressed that as a society we must be aware that in 2022, we will still have to wear masks and maintain biosafety measures, “I think that in open spaces, it will depend on whether we achieve a total vaccination, with a minimum of two doses, what ideally it would be with the booster dose above 80% ”.
Regarding the issue of learning about the virus, Ortega said that it is very important, that the health system must be strengthened, and that it is necessary to have a rapid response to the pandemic.
“We need to have the capacity to investigate these issues at the local level and for the evidence that is generated to be published, we have a very important limitation, which is the publication of data, we have to be more open with scientific data, they have to be public in order to that we can all analyze the information and make the best recommendations, “he said.
