Panama applied 1,434,663 COVID-19 tests between March 9, 2020 and January 10, 2021
The Ministry of Health (Minsa) announced that Panama is among the countries that apply the most diagnostic tests to detect COVID-19 to the population, according to a report by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
It points out that in this sense, the country has carried out 1,434,663 tests in the period from March 9, 2020 to January 10, 2021, between antigenic and RT-PCR tests.
He explains that this means that 335,319 tests are being carried out in Panama per million inhabitants, being surpassed only by Chile with 359,535 tests per million inhabitants, Canada with 375,622 tests per million inhabitants and the United States with 780,638 tests per million inhabitants.
It details that in epidemiological week 34 there was an increase in the volume of tests more than 66,000 antigenic and RT-PCR tests, while from week 47, 100,089 tests were reached in the first week of 2021, in addition it was achieved the goal set by health authorities to increase testing to over 10,000 daily.
It adds that the PAHO report reflects that as of January 12 there was an occupation of 58% of hospital beds in the ward, 76% of ICU and semi-ICU beds, and 41% of ventilators nationwide; and that 48% of severe and critical patients have been treated in the health facilities of the Social Security Fund (CSS), 46% in those of the Ministry of Health and 6% in private hospitals in Panama.
It adds that it was possible to maintain the admission of patients to the ward and ICU at the lowest levels from the beginning of the epidemic until June 1; Later, the period of the peak of the epidemic was entered, registering the highest averages in the month of July with 1,428 patients in the ward and 159 in the ICU; After this, in epidemiological week 35, from August 23 there was a decrease in hospital admissions to 1,115 patients; Between epidemiological weeks 38 and 41, they stabilized at 714 hospitalizations on average in the period; and for October there was an average of 640 admissions to the ward and 117 to the ICU.
He explains that this means that 335,319 tests are being carried out in Panama per million inhabitants, being surpassed only by Chile with 359,535 tests per million inhabitants, Canada with 375,622 tests per million inhabitants and the United States with 780,638 tests per million inhabitants.
It details that in epidemiological week 34 there was an increase in the volume of tests more than 66,000 antigenic and RT-PCR tests, while from week 47, 100,089 tests were reached in the first week of 2021, in addition it was achieved the goal set by health authorities to increase testing to over 10,000 daily.
It adds that the PAHO report reflects that as of January 12 there was an occupation of 58% of hospital beds in the ward, 76% of ICU and semi-ICU beds, and 41% of ventilators nationwide; and that 48% of severe and critical patients have been treated in the health facilities of the Social Security Fund (CSS), 46% in those of the Ministry of Health and 6% in private hospitals in Panama.
It adds that it was possible to maintain the admission of patients to the ward and ICU at the lowest levels from the beginning of the epidemic until June 1; Later, the period of the peak of the epidemic was entered, registering the highest averages in the month of July with 1,428 patients in the ward and 159 in the ICU; After this, in epidemiological week 35, from August 23 there was a decrease in hospital admissions to 1,115 patients; Between epidemiological weeks 38 and 41, they stabilized at 714 hospitalizations on average in the period; and for October there was an average of 640 admissions to the ward and 117 to the ICU.