Panama approves emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19
The Vice Minister of Health of Panama Ivette Berrío reported tonight that the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 was approved and that the country is prepared to receive it.
Berrío announced: Panama, I have the honor to announce that the National Government approved the emergency use of the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine against COVID-19. We proudly inform senior Pfizer executives that we are ready, she continued.
The vice minister also stated that Panama will be one of the first countries in the region to have the vaccine and its application is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2021.
At the press conference, he also detailed how the vaccination process will be in Panama , which was planned in a work table created for the organization and development of this activity, which will be carried out in four phases .
- The first phase will be the identification of those who will be vaccinated, (health personnel, the elderly, security forces, etc.)
- The second covers everything related to logistics, which includes transportation, storage, cold chain and distribution.
- The third phase corresponds to the vaccination process itself.
- The fourth corresponds to the follow-up through a virtual office that will answer questions to the vaccinated among others.
Berrío concluded by ensuring that they will ensure that the vaccine is effective and efficient, so they have opted for technology for its placement, distribution and storage of the doses. This will be made possible through a barcode system it will be possible to determine where, when and to whom the dose was applied.
Ministry of Health will be supported by the Authority for Government Innovation, to keep a digital record that will allow monitoring the batches of vaccines, the temperature, their distribution and application at the national level, which would facilitate the work of both the ministry and of the Social Security Fund and the Expanded Immunization Program (PAI).
The vice minister also stated that Panama will be one of the first countries in the region to have the vaccine and its application is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2021.
At the press conference, he also detailed how the vaccination process will be in Panama , which was planned in a work table created for the organization and development of this activity, which will be carried out in four phases .
- The first phase will be the identification of those who will be vaccinated, (health personnel, the elderly, security forces, etc.)
- The second covers everything related to logistics, which includes transportation, storage, cold chain and distribution.
- The third phase corresponds to the vaccination process itself.
- The fourth corresponds to the follow-up through a virtual office that will answer questions to the vaccinated among others.
Berrío concluded by ensuring that they will ensure that the vaccine is effective and efficient, so they have opted for technology for its placement, distribution and storage of the doses. This will be made possible through a barcode system it will be possible to determine where, when and to whom the dose was applied.
Ministry of Health will be supported by the Authority for Government Innovation, to keep a digital record that will allow monitoring the batches of vaccines, the temperature, their distribution and application at the national level, which would facilitate the work of both the ministry and of the Social Security Fund and the Expanded Immunization Program (PAI).
