The Minister Councelor of Health of Panama, Eyra Ruiz indicated in Open Debate that she does not intend to resign, assuring that President Laurentino Cortizo put her in that position and only he can make the decision.

"It has not crossed my mind to resign, the president (Laurentino Cortizo) put me here, so the president is the one who makes that decision," said the Minister for Health.

Ruiz assured the counseling ministers are doing their job and that his removal from office is the decision of the Executive.

On the other hand, Minister Ruiz pointed out that so far in Panama no person has died from the COVID-19 vaccine .

"Direct death by vaccine (anticovid) we have not had any, death of patients with some dose of vaccine, either AstraZeneca or Pfizer, we have had and that report is given every day ... of course aggravated with other pathologies", indicated the minister counselor

Ruiz indicated that the Ministry of Health (Minsa) has seen the decrease in cases in places that have restricted mobility on Sundays, that happened in Chiriquí. Veraguas is happening now in Hererra, only by doing that the cases have been decreasing ”, Minister of Health

"I believe that the traceability strategy, these specific closures, plus the massive vaccination, is what will mean that we will soon no longer have to make those decisions and I say we because we are a whole health team", said Minister Counselor.

Ruiz asks the population to attend the immunization centers and added that they will be offering, at the end of the PanavaC-19 continuous vaccination operation, a report on these days and their costs for the State.

"In the end we will have to give a full report on how all this was handled because the public needs to know it," he said.

The minister estimated that a patient in intensive or respiratory care is costing the State, during the entire time of the hospitalization that he is going to have, which does not go below 10 days, more than $ 50,000, much more.

Regarding clandestine vaccinations, the minister indicated that it is an issue that must be investigated until the last consequences.

“This case has to go to the last consequences. All citizens need to know what happened and in the end it is paid because they are playing with people's lives,” Ruiz said.