Panama, a country of 4.2 million inhabitants that has experienced an upturn in the disease since the beginning of November, which has led to record numbers of new daily infections, accumulates 179,230 confirmed cases and 3,212 deaths from covid since last March.

For Panama, COVID-19 has become the leading cause of death for people aged 60 and over. Although we maintain a fatality rate lower than the regional average (1.8%), when we review mortality we see that we are above of the average (71.5), PAHO representative in the country, Dr. Gerardo Alfaro, told Efe.

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PAHO statistics updated to November 29 indicate that Panama registers a mortality from covid of 71.5 per 100,000 inhabitants, above all Central American countries and surpassed by others such as Colombia (72.5), Mexico (78 , 2) The United States (79.1) and Peru, with 107.7 having the highest record on the continent.

According to data from the Panamanian Ministry of Health updated to December 7, of the 3,212 accumulated deaths since the pandemic began in the country on March 9, 2,390 correspond to people aged 60 years or older.

The age group of 60 to 79 years accounts for 1,559 deaths and those of 80 years or more 831, well above the figures of the segment of 40 to 59 years (642), 20 to 39 years (156) and 20 or less years (24).

The Panamanian authorities have repeatedly exhorted the youngest, who are the most exposed because they are economically and socially active people, to take extreme biosecurity measures to avoid catching the new coronavirus and infecting their older relatives.

SECOND COUNTRY WITH THE HIGHEST INCIDENCE RATE IN AMERICA

Dr. Alfaro also highlighted that Panama is among the top three countries on the continent that performs the most tests to detect covid, "and therefore detects more cases."

In terms of the incidence rate, in Panama 241 cases were reported per 100,000 inhabitants in the week of November 26 to December 2, the highest rate in the subregion and the second highest in America, said Alfaro.

Panama, together with the United States and Chile, is one of the countries in America that performs more tests for case detection (PCR and antigenic), while in Central America it occupies the first place in the number of daily tests, he added, citing the most recent data. Recent PAHO.

A PAHO report on Panama updated to November 29 indicated that the country performs 210,406 diagnostic tests per million inhabitants, being surpassed on the continent only by Chile (274,383 tests per million inhabitants), Canada (298,038 tests per million inhabitants) and the United States (553,310 tests per million inhabitants).

In the last week the authorities have tightened the sanctions and measures against the covid, with the extension of the night curfew and the prohibition of the sale of liquor at those hours in the provinces of Panama, where the capital is located, and the neighboring Panama Oeste - which brings together almost half of the country's population - in an attempt to slow the pace of spread of infections.

The rebound of the disease has been linked by the authorities with the almost full opening of the economy as of last October 12 after more than six months semi-paralyzed.