Hewitt clarified that the registration form for the vaccine application, which is available on the site vacunas.panamasolidario.gob.pa, would enter a phase 5 on the vaccination day.

This registration is for when the umbrella is opened for the population by spontaneous demand, the one who registers is not going to be vaccinated or in the first, second, third or fourth phase, but after the priority groups are finished, he said. the EPI coordinator.

He reiterated that Panama will acquire 5.5 million doses and is in the process of obtaining an additional million of a vaccine that is a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The vaccination schedule corresponds to the priority groups by phase from 1 to 4 and will depend on the number of doses that reach the country from the suppliers throughout the table, Pfizer vaccines will be used, the one developed by AstraZeneca / Oxford, Johnson & Johnson and the Covax mechanism offering a fan, said Hewitt.

He explained that from Pfizer, Panama will receive 3 million doses, but for the first phase 450,000 doses were obtained (in three months) and they will be applied to 225,000 people.

Phase 1: these groups include: officials from the health sector, prioritizing those who directly attend to patients with Covid-19, security forces, bedridden adults over 60 years of age and those who are in nursing homes and homes, staff cleaning, and people with disabilities (over 16 years), among others.

Phase 2: is subject to the arrival of vaccines that can be Pfizer or AstraZeneca, the rest of adults over 60 years of age and patients with chronic diseases.

Phase 3: it is expected to be at the end of June or July for the population of indigenous peoples and of difficult access, with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is a single dose, but it does not mean that if vaccines arrive from another pharmaceutical company, the phase, will depend on the availability of vaccines and those not covered in the first phase.

Phase 4: 1,112,410 doses will be used for more than 550,000 people who will be with the Covax fan vaccines for the population aged 50 to 59 years, public transport, teachers, among others, but many have been vaccinated in the early stages of having some comorbidity of chronic medical diseases.

Phase 5 is calculated to be enabled for October 2021, which are those registered in the application registration form for vaccination against COVID-19.

Vaccination is not mandatory.

Regarding the application of the dose to foreigners, the national coordinator of the PAI clarified that those who work or reside in Panama will be included and given the same treatment.