Vaccination against Covid – 19 has saved 3,600 lives in Panama says epidemiologist and executive director of the Cevaxin Research Center, Rodrigo De Antonio, according to the latest estimate based on the model developed by Imperial College.

He added that while the end of the pandemic, is near, it will depend on the vaccination coverage that is achieved and the equitable access that can be had to vaccination in all countries of the world. The fear of Ómicron is due to the fact that it generates more cases in a short time, becoming a threat to the health system, he said.

After a month since the first case of Ómicron was detected in South Africa, the new variant is already found in more than 90 countries, including Panama.

The appearance of this new lineage is causing in several nations situations very similar to those experienced at the beginning of the pandemic, in 2020,

De Antonio was the architect of the projections of the coronavirus in Panama when the first cases began to register.

The appearance of the new lineage is causing in several nations situations very similar to those experienced at the beginning of the pandemic, in 2020, when isolates and other restrictive measures were dictated.

We currently have greater knowledge and tools for both the prevention and management of the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It will depend on each country and its population to use these tools in a timely manner.

Scientific evidence available to date suggests that Omicron may be more transmissible than Delta and that the incubation time is shorter, causing cases to double every 2 to 3 days. The symptoms appear to be very similar to each other, however preliminary evidence suggests that Ómicron appears to have high respiratory symptoms) associated with headaches and fatigue.

The original variant had a reproduction number of 2.5 (between two and three people were infected for each infected). For the Delta it has been estimated that it can be between five and six; While the information collected so far suggests that with the Ómicron lineage, up to 10 people or more can be infected.