The Minister of Health, Luis Francisco Sucre, announced this Monday that on Sunday the first case of the omicron variant was detected in Panama.
He explained that the variant was confirmed in a 50-year-old citizen, whose immigration status is a resident foreigner who arrived in the country on December 8 and had recently traveled to South Africa.
The person works in one of the mining projects operating in Panama and entered the country with a complete vaccination scheme and a negative test for Covid-19, complying with the security protocol dictated by the Ministry of Health (Minsa) and the mining companies .
Sucre reported that, on the third day after his arrival, an antigen test was carried out and it was negative, however, on the fifth day, the test was performed again, both for antigen and PCR, resulting positive.
After testing positive for Covid-19, he was placed in isolation and the test samples were sent to the Gorgas Memorial Institute, where he produced the omicron variant.
“The person is isolated in the mine, has not had contact with anyone and has remained asymptomatic. Today (Monday) another PCR test will be performed to check its contagiousness, “he explained.
The head of the Minsa called on the population to redouble biosecurity measures such as the use of a mask, social distancing, facial screen and the use of alcoholic gel.
He added that it is important for the population that has not been vaccinated to go out and do so. “It is extremely important, and it is proven that the vaccines that are being used are really effective in preventing the development of serious disease,” he said.
