OPINION – Panama's deepening dark hole

Panama has earned a dishonorable place on the issue of the pandemic. We are in the first places in America, only surpassed by Peru and the United States, in deaths per 100,000 inhabitants (104), while in infections, 6,525 per 100,000 inhabitants, only surpassed by the United States. The good news is that Panama conducts a considerable amount of Covid-19 testing. But, contrary to the case of the United States, here in Panama there have been strict controls on confinement, business closures and mobility restrictions. But, with everything and that, our numbers are shameful, and in this we are to blame both the ruled and the rulers. This pandemic, in addition to spoiling our economy, has caused great human losses, and now we are hoping that the arrival of vaccines will gradually materialize a way out of this dark hole in which we have been falling for almost a year. Although only now the case figures have stabilized, with a slight downward trend, we are still far from a definitive solution. It is urgent now, more than ever, to maintain the recommended measures to prevent the spread of viruses. – LA PRENSA,Jan.15