Panama reports 2,424 new COVID-19 cases and 42 deaths in 24 hours
The Ministry of Health (Minsa) reported this Sunday, January 10, that 2,424 new COVID-19 cases and 42 deaths from coronavirus have been reported in the last 24 hours in Panama.
In the epidemiological report, the ministry highlights that they also update 3 deaths from previous dates, totaling 4,455 accumulated deaths in the country.
The case fatality rate remains at 1.6%.
The report points out that in the last 24 hours they applied 10,389 tests, of which 23.3% were positive. The number of accumulated total of cases is 279,196, and out of that 219,144 patients have recovered.
Meanwhile, a total of 55,597 active cases. 53,115 people are reported in isolation, of which 52,334 are at home and 781 in hotels.
There are 2,482 hospitalized patients. 2,257 of them are in the ward and 225 in intensive care units.
NOTE:
Some observers have argued that the Minsa reported case fatality rate (number of COVID linked deaths / number of known cases) in reality should 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, the method used in Panama to define how a 'COVID death' is counted is also 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.
There have also been reports on the inaccuracy of the PCR test, which would compromise the figures mentioned above.
In lack of better information sources, PanaTimes continues to publish reports with the government (Minsa) announced figures. Readers are adviced to use their own judgement. We are happy to publish more accurate reports, if they become available to us or our contributors.