Gaona de Cocherán is 59 years old and 37 years of service. The act of placing the first dose of the vaccine took place in that hospital.

In this way, Panama with more than 301 thousand confirmed cases and more than 4,800 deaths due to this disease, started its vaccination campaign, which is divided into 4 phases.

"Do not be afraid, many are afraid to get the vaccine, but be positive that if the vaccine was created with this speed I think it is with an intention that we are all willing to vaccinate and soon the cases decrease," said the worker of the Health.

Maribel Burbúa was the nurse in charge of giving the dose to Gaona de Cocherán.

The President of the Republic, Laurentino Cortizo, arrived at the event, accompanied by the Minister of Health, Luis Francisco Sucre and the Vice Minister of Health, Ivette Berrio.

"This is a process that obviously we are only halfway through the journey; it begins with Miss Violeta, that process the dynamic vaccination strategy," said the head of state.

Cortizo assured that the health team is prepared for the vaccination process, and reiterated that 1,101 centers will be enabled for said process.

"I can assure the country that we are prepared for the vaccination process, for the execution, I have no doubt and now let's get to work," he concluded.

In addition to Gaona de Cocherán, 5 other health professionals who work in the Covid-19 rooms of the Santo Tomás Hospital were vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the medical director of the Intensive Care Unit of the Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid Hospital Complex, Simón Teoktisto, aged 65, was the second person vaccinated.

READ ALSO: Panama receives the first doses of vaccine against covid-19

"We meet this morning on the occasion of starting the vaccination process against covid-19 at the Social Security Fund. This time we have invited Simón Teoktisto, so that it is [one of] the first vaccine to be given. Dr. Simón Theoktisto is a 65-year-old intensivist doctor who despite his risk factors has been exposing his life to save that of others, "said the director of the Social Security Fund (CSS), Enrique Lau.

Lau said that they hope to vaccinate with the first doses sent to the Hospital Complex 100% of the health personnel who are in the intensive care unit and the special respiratory care unit, due to their exposure to the virus.

Subsequently, depending on the arrival of the next batches of the vaccine, the personnel who are in the ward, the emergency room, and those who are in hospital hotels will be vaccinated.

In West Panama, Alex Pineda, head of internal medicine at the Nicolás A. Solano Hospital, was the first person to receive the dose of the vaccine in that province.

The first 12,840 doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine against covid-19 arrived in the country at dawn on Wednesday, January 20, at Tocumen International Airport, on a DHL plane.

The first phase of vaccination includes health workers, members of essential services, adults over 60 years of age, and people over 16 with disabilities.