Panamanian family tells their story with covid-19 2:47
(CNN Spanish) -
The Panamanian government is interested in acquiring 3 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine, according to a note addressed on Wednesday by the Minister of Health of Panama, Luis Francisco Sucre, to the director of the Russian Fund for Direct Investment, Kirill Dmitriev.
It is a letter of intent to initiate the formal process of requesting this vaccine to the Russian government, in which Panama expressed the desire to obtain in March of this year the 3 million doses for 1.5 million people, guaranteeing that each one receives the second dose in 21 days, and that they are inoculated against covid-19.
Panama reports that it could receive a second batch of vaccines in two weeks
"The government of Panama, through its drug regulatory authority, is ready to deliver an emergency use license to the Sputnik V vaccine," Minister Luis Francisco Sucre reported in the note that circulated since Thursday afternoon and which was admitted by the Ministry of Health to CNN as an official document.
The letter highlights that Panama has "a high rate of cases."
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In fact, the epidemiological report of the Ministry of Health reported this Thursday that the country accumulates 324,489 confirmed cases of coronavirus, of which 33,608 are active.
Of these, there are 2,308 hospitalized and 230 sick in intensive care.
In the 11-month pandemic, 5,391 people died.
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"Our geographical position makes us one of the most important centers of connectivity by air, land and sea in our region, and has exposed us to greater risks than other countries," said the Panamanian Minister of Health, asking for the doses of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V as an effort to address the situation.
On January 20, Panama received a first batch of vaccines from the Pfizer company, consisting of 12,840 doses, and according to the Panamanian government, it is expected that a new shipment will arrive in the next few days with the 450,000 vaccines agreed for the first quarter of 2021.
At the end of 2020, the Ministry of Health assured that agreements were signed to acquire 5.5 million doses of vaccines from the manufacturers AstraZeneca, Covax, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer.
With the new request, the Russian Sputnik V vaccine could now be added.
sputnik V Coronavirus vaccine
