The Minister of Health, Luis Francisco Sucre reported, on Monday, August 9, that three families in Chiriqui had been in contact  with  the first case of the Delta variation of the Coronavirus, and genomic sequencing and epidemiological surveillance were reinforced through the Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies (Icges)

Traceability sweeps detected the three families who are "in quarantine and totally isolated,” said Sucre.

The first community case of this variant was detected in a child under 14 years of age in the Los Algarrobos district of Chiriqui.

Earlier, Leonardo Labrador, national head of the Department of Epidemiology at Minsa, said that the person who tested positive for the Delta variant was caught at random, has no travel history or contacts with people who have been abroad.

Sucre stressed that despite the fact that Panama is a transit country, that receives many tourists and passengers. the health team has managed to contain the spread of this variant to some extent. He recalled that most of the neighboring countries already have a high percentage of the Delta variant.

The Health Minister said that now the most important thing is that the population is vaccinated quickly to be ready for any variant ”. He reiterated to the population to redouble biosecurity measures and attend the vaccination centers established by the National Government.