Red flags as Panama on covid “dangerous plateau”

Panama  has been stuck on a plateau of an average of 650 new coronavirus cases a day  for more than four weeks, which is a “dangerous balance” in controlling the pandemic, during  the reopening of economic activities says public health specialist Jorge Luis Prosperi

In the epidemiological week that ended Saturday (from October 4 to 10) there were 5,013 new cases and 68 deaths. That represents an increase of 10% compared to the previous week when there were 4,545 new cases.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry on Saturday reported an accumulated 119,666 cases of Covid-19 in Panama, of which 2 482 are deaths. In the previous 24 hours, 825 new infections and 8 deaths were reported.

Because the country is in a phase of opening up economic activities and, in some way, of making health measures more flexible. “So, it is clear that the possibility of massive infections among the participants and in their communities and families when they return home is very high. That is a red flag, ”Prosperi said.

He believes that although a fatality rate of 2.1% remains, research should be done to improve what to do in all lines of care that patients receive, from the moment they are detected as positive, passing through the hotels- hospitals, inpatient wards, and intensive care units.