A day after it was revealed that Panama identified its first case of the omicron variant of covid-19 in a 50-year-old man who had traveled to South Africa, President Cortizo announced that the waiting time for a booster shot had been cut to three months instead of six.

In a meeting of health advisors with Cortizo, it was also approved that the vaccination will be for the entire population over 16 years of age.

The Omicron variant, which was first reported in South Africa, has proven to be more transmissible than the Delta, which is the dominant one in Panama.

Until Monday, December 20, the report of the Expanded Vaccination Program reported the application of 6,177 885 doses of vaccines against the coronavirus.

Of that amount 3,118,260 correspond to the first dose and 2,099.649 to the second. In addition, a total of 252,810 booster doses and 7,166 third doses have been applied.