The Minister Counselor for Health Affairs of Panama, Eyra Ruiz, reported this Wednesday that the application of the third dose of the vaccine against COVID-19 will be carried out in the health facilities where patients with immunosuppression go to their dating regularly.

"These doses will be applied in the hospitals where they are treated because practically all patients have their appointments in third-level hospitals, regional hospitals and in private hospitals ... so we are giving enough doses to all the hospitals that need them," he explained. Ruiz.

He indicated that according to a statistic collected between the Ministry of Health (Minsa) and the Social Security Fund (CSS), around 40 thousand immunosuppressed patients are counted.

He explained that patients who are going to be vaccinated with the third dose must have a reference from their treating physician, so that the nurses who will apply the vaccine have the endorsement and recommendation in their file.

It is worth mentioning that starting this Wednesday in Panama, the third dose against COVID-19 will begin to be applied to immunosuppressed patients, since they are more vulnerable to the virus.

The Minister of Health, Luis Francisco Sucre, announced that the application of the third dose in this first phase will begin with the following patients:

- Patients receiving cancer treatment, who have tumors or cancer in the blood.
- Patients who have received an organ transplant and take immunosuppressive medications.
- Patients who have received stem cell transplants in the last two years.
- Patients with primary, moderate or severe immunodeficiency.
- Patients with advanced or untreated HIV infection.
- Patients with corticosteroid treatment or medications that can suppress their immune response.