In Panama, vaccination is a State issue, a mission that involves each person that makes up our society. For tourism, it is the process to begin to recover the time and tourists lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
As the vaccination process progresses, new challenges are being faced that test the creativity and will of the entire country. And, there are still many people skeptical about getting vaccinated, despite the entry into the country of the Delta variant, a more aggressive and viral version of the Covid-19 that has been causing major health problems in other countries of the world. For Doctor Emilio Saturno, who is an allergist and immunologist, vaccination is extremely important. He indicates that research is right on target, the people who have had the virus, and have not been vaccinated, have been reinfected, and the people who have not been vaccinated and have been infected have had stronger symptoms.
Vaccination Decreases the Rate of Contagion
That decreasing of hospitalization is one of the most important objectives in the plan carried out by the authorities, for that reason Doctor Saturno comments that research have shown that there are eight times less hospitalization probabilities and 8% fewer people infected with vaccination and up to 25% fewer people hospitalized or with severe symptoms in vaccinated patients, even with the Delta variant. These data offered by the Doctor are of great importance when it comes to controlling the infection and its severe symptoms, since the Delta variant is twice as contagious and getting vaccinated helps reduce contagion, but more importantly, it reduces the symptoms of the disease, and prevents a person’s viral status from getting complicated.
90% of the Infections are Unvaccinated People
Doctor Saturno reveals to us that the country is having what is called a “breakthrough infection”, infected people despite being vaccinated, a pattern that is seen more with the Delta variant. However, that only represents 10% of vaccinated people, compared to 90% of the unvaccinated who end up getting infected. This leads to a conclusion, that 90% of people who are infected today are not vaccinated, exacerbating the need to vaccinate the largest number of people, and thus reach 85% of the population.
The Virus Adapts and Mutates
Science has taught us through history that the virus adapts and mutates, generating a greater amount of infection. This means that the more people are infected, the more mutations the virus will have, and this causes a bigger problem, that the virus becomes more resistant to both mitigation measures and treatments. That is why vaccination is so important.
Dr. Saturno comments that the current FDA approval is very good news, since it generates greater confidence in the population to go to be vaccinated and eliminates any argument that contradicts the recommendation.
Normal Life Will Bring Back Tourism
For our country, returning to a new normal is important for international tourism to return. The tourist will have doubts about visiting a country if is not sure that its people live calmly and without worrying about getting sick. Although most job segments are open under bio-security measures, the biggest challenge is for kids to return to classes. The opening of schools is what is needed for the country to feel back to normality.
According to Doctor Saturno, schools have not represented an increase in infections anywhere in the world, that community cases (not in school) are what add up in this case. The Doctor goes on to explain that the school is not a place of high contagion, that kids going back to class will not represent any greater risk neither for the children nor for their educators. On the contrary, children play together in their communities all the time and are exposed to each other and they do so without a mask. The Doctor concludes that it is in completely closed places, either at the friend’s house or closed public places, where they can get infected.
If there is one thing in which all the citizens of our country agree 100%, it is that the country must go back to full throttle, creating jobs, opportunities and enjoying the freedom to mobilize without restrictions. Vaccination is the fastest process to achieve it and as our country feels normal, tourism will reach the levels it enjoyed before the pandemic.