Coronavirus  infections up 169% and counting

There  were  – registers 3,207 new infections from . Covid-19  in the week ending June 13 without   counting in Saturday’s figures  so the final number  of reported  cases will ne the highest since the first, on March 9.

The number of infections this week represents an increase of 169% compared to the first week of last month (May 3-9) when the confirmed cases were 1,192.

Friday’s epidemiology report from the  Ministry of Health (Minsa) detailed 19,211 accumulated  cases accumulated in the country, of which 5,031 are active (4,537 in isolation and 494 hospitalized), 13,759 patients  recovered and 421 died..

Minsa’s aggressive testing program . with  2,034 new tests on Friday – the  third consecutive day with more than 2,000 diagnostic tests  is a contributing factor  to the increase in revealed cases

Javier Nieto, an  infectologist and member of the Minsa Coronavirus Advisory Committee, said that poverty, overcrowding, safe passages, the informal economy and the opening of Block 1 have influenced the increase.

Most of the cases are reported in the provinces of Panamá, Panamá Oeste and Veraguas, and some districts of Bocas del Toro and Chiriquí, where a high number of people live in multidimensional poverty.

The 2017  Poverty Index of Panama of shows  that there are 777,752  people in extreme poverty in the country.

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