First doses of  vaccine for 5-11 year-olds arrive in Panama

The first 60,000 doses, of the Pfizer pediatric vaccine from Belgium, arrived at  Tocumen International Airport on Sunday and will be applied to children from 5 to 11 years old with chronic diseases and immunosuppressed patients said the Deputy Minister of Health, Ivette Berrío.

The Panamanian government bought a total of 1.5 million pediatric doses from the pharmaceutical company.

This year, the Ministry of Education is scheduled to return to face-to-face classes, so it is necessary to vaccinate the population that is needed, said Berrío.

She said that on Monday, the Operation PanavaC-19 team will meet to coordinate how and where the vaccination day for children will take place.

Last year the target population to be vaccinated was 12 years and older.

The pediatric infectologist, Javier Nieto Guevara published on his Twitter account that vaccination in children between 5 and 11 years old against covid -19 is the most effective strategy in preventing hospitalizations or complications associated with Covid-19. He said that 9 million doses have been applied in the United States, demonstrating an acceptable safety profile.