Deaths from the virus in the country increased to 2,817, after accounting for 9 new deaths. The case fatality rate remains at 2.0%.

In the last hours, 7,079 tests were carried out to detect coronavirus, for a percentage of positivity of 13.7%.

There are a total of 18,778 active cases and 119,907 recovered patients.

According to the epidemiological report of the Minsa, of the active patients there are 17,472 in home isolation and 534 in hotels; while 772 patients are hospitalized, of them 627 in ward and 145 in intensive care.

According to the age group, patients between the ages of 20 and 59 continue to be the most affected in terms of contagion, however most deaths correspond to those over 60 years of age.

According to the chief of epidemiology, Lourdes Moreno, this week the numbers of cases increased, compared to the previous weeks, thus generating a slight increase in ICU as well as those hospitalized in ward.

Panama Metro, Panama Oeste, Chiriquí, Veraguas, Coclé and Colón, are the regions of the country with the most positive cases; while the Comarca de Guna Yala and the province of Los Santos are the ones with the least contagions.

NOTE:

Some critics have argued that the Minsa reported case fatality rate (number of COVID linked deaths / number of known cases) in reality could be much lower, as the number of reported cases does not necessarily reflect the truth, as the testing does not cover the whole population, and many cases go undetected. At the same time, the government can't report what they don't know, but readers should note that the numbers may tell a different story from the reality.

Also, how a "COVID death" is counted is unclear, as many of the deaths correspond to underlying previous conditions, such as cancer, blood diseases, other age related diseases etc., and are reported as COVID deaths since the patient also had the coronavirus. On the other hand, many viruses are known to lower the patient's immunity and expose them to other diseases. As an example most HIV/AIDS patients don't die from the virus itself, but from other derived diseases such as pneumonia or regular flu.

In lack of better information sources, PanaTimes continues to report the government (Minsa) announced figures. Readers are adviced to use their own judgement.