https://www-laestrella-com-pa.translate.goog/nacional/220503/eduardo-ortega-panama-inicio-quinta?_x_tr_sl=es&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc

With the increase in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, between 700 and 900, everything seems to indicate that Panama is at the beginning of a fifth wave, warned the secretary of the Eduardo Ortega, national secretary of the National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (Senacyt).

Ortega explained, during an interview on Telemetro Reporta, that the increase in cases could have started after the elimination of the mandatory use of the mask in public spaces and after Easter, since between five to 10 days later, the infections were noticed. , that is, in the incubation period of the virus. He indicated that covi-19 has changed and there are already five variants: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and omicron, which is the current one. The latter has five related viruses and is more transmissible, but if the person is vaccinated with the booster, it will protect against hospitalization, but not against infection.

“Let’s remember that the cases we see now were infected four or five days ago, corresponding to the incubation period of the current variant of omicron, which is shorter, and that means that it reproduces faster, in addition to being transmitted more skillfully, by what we are now seeing is the beginning of a fifth wave”, he commented.

For the national secretary of Senacyt, the trend of the fifth wave will depend on the actions that will be taken, from now on.

“It can be mitigated and avoided, but the question will remain the same: How long is it going to last?” Ortega said.

The latest report from the Department of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Health revealed that as of May 1, no deaths had been reported yesterday, for which the country reached 72 hours without notification of deaths from covid-19.

However, the percentage of positivity has increased in recent days to 13.3%.

To date, the country has recorded 777,120 confirmed cumulative cases of covid-19, of which 700 are new positive cases. The accumulated number of deaths remains at 8,184 deaths for a lethality of 1.1%.

The active cases total 6,244 throughout the country, of which 6,141 are in home isolation and 103 hospitalized. The districts with the highest incidence of cases yesterday were Penonomé, Coclé with 38; Rufina Alfaro in San Miguelito with 33; San Francisco in the capital with 26 and Santiago in Veraguas with 22.