[News Boquete] Some insights into the covid epidemic from Dra. Shannon Tuer

The following was excerpted from Dra. Shannon Tuer's radio program as well as some post-broadcast comments she has submitted.

There should be less chance of transmission to other people after getting vaccinated there haven't been enough studies but in theory it should lower the amount of virus being shed .  

Can be infected by short contact as well .especially if you come into contact with droplets .  Otherwise we believe it takes a little longer to receive a sufficient quantity of virus to cause Infection, possibly about as little as 15 minutes .

Chiriquí beaches, rivers, public areas open from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.

No lockdown on weekends.  Curfew from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Some restricted travel between certain provinces (Divisa, Panama, Panama Oueste), unless you have a valid reason for travel (e.g. medical appointment).

COVID case numbers have steadied:  about 3000 cases.  The death rate has come down a bit.  20% of infected people end up in the hospital.  80% of people have mild cases.

It takes about 15 minutes of being with other people to get infected, and it takes 3-4 days for symptoms to appear.

The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines reported to be effective against the new virus strains.  However, they won't stop people from getting sick or from spreading the virus.  The vaccines protect against severe infection by allowing sufficient antibody buildup in the body and cutting down on the amount of virus you have in your body (viral load).  0.23% of people have a reaction to the vaccine.  The vaccines won't affect your DNA.

Getting the vaccine is safer than getting COVID.  Long-term effects of COVID:  heart, lungs, kidneys, blood clots.  These can happen weeks to months after contracting COVID.

2.63% of the population in Panama has had COVID.  You can get sick again.  Estimated 90% of the population needs to be vaccinated to creat herd immunity because the virus is so contagious. 

 Logistics problems:  people in remote areas and required temperature for vaccine.

Need to continue taking precautions.  Panama has a 1.6 mortality rate, though the death reporting rate is lower in Panama than in other countries.

 

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