The expected second batch of 67,860 vaccines against Covid-19 from the pharmaceutical duo Pfizer-BioNTech arrived in Panama at dawn this Wednesday, February 17, 2021.
With these doses, stage 1 of phase 1 of the national vaccination plan carried out by the Expanded Program of Immunization (PAI) of the Ministry of Health (Minsa) can continue , which began on January 20, when it reached the country the first batch of 12,840 vaccines.
The doses arrived at 12:28 am, at the Tocumen International Airport, on a DHL company flight from the city of Miami, United States.
This second batch is part of the 5.5 million doses of vaccine purchased from the US pharmaceutical company. Pfizer reported that similar quantities will be sent in the following weeks, which arrived this morning, until completing 450 thousand doses in the first quarter of this year.
The total number of vaccines to be purchased from Pfizer increased due to the fact that the National Government made a request for 2 million extra doses, informed the Minsa.
Health Minister Luis Francisco Sucre, who received the vaccines at the Tocumen Airport, said that the Customs and Health team verified the shipment of vaccines.
For her part, the Minister Counselor on Health Issues, Eyra Ruiz, explained that starting this Wednesday at 6:00 am, the second batch of vaccines will begin to be distributed to continue with stage 1A of phase 1 and begin the stage 1 B.
Stage 1A contemplates immunizing health personnel in the first line of the fight against the new coronavirus that was not vaccinated with the first batch, inoculating older adults over 60 years of age who are bedridden in homes, homes or nursing homes.
Vaccines will also be separated for people who were already vaccinated with the doses of the first batch that arrived in the country in January.
While in stage 1B, health personnel not prioritized in stage 1A of the public and private system will be vaccinated. In addition, the groups in the front line of the Public Force, the Red Cross, the National Civil Protection System and the Fire Department. For this, Ruiz said that 2,000 to 3,000 doses will be separated.