Panama already has 1,400 doses of monkeypox vaccine, as reported on Monday by the Minister of Health, Luis Francisco Sucre, who said that the shipment arrived in the country to soon start with the evaluations to be able to apply them.
He revealed that the “priority personnel” will be the first to receive this vaccine starting next week, these are health personnel who care for patients infected with monkeypox.
The minister regretted that the number of doses is not higher, but recalled that there is a worldwide shortage of this vaccine, which is why Panama is one of the lucky countries to have at least more than 1,000 doses.
“Those are the doses that have been able to reach us, 1,400, we would have liked to have bought many more, however there is a shortage of these vaccines worldwide and that is what PAHO was able to get to Panama,” Sucre said.
As of September 30, 2022, Panama had confirmed 16 cases of monkeypox, all male.
He clarified that this is a preventive vaccine that will prevent them from becoming infected and, in case you get infected, that the virus does not have the capacity to reproduce and thus cannot be transmitted.
“It has to be applied, before you get the disease,” he explained.
Sucre’s statements were given during a tour he made in the construction of the new Children’s Hospital, there he also spoke about the progress of the work and said that he already has a 10.55% advance. He also revealed that the contractor must present a report next Monday detailing the actions to be followed for the month of November in this work.
