Due to the geographical location of Panama, the country is a hub for several varieties of virus coming from several regions. According to the scientists at ICGES, Panama has been exposed to eight lineages of the virus from the United States, Europe and Asia.
Researchers with the Gorgas Memorial Institute of Panama (ICGES), cited by La Estrella De Panama, announced that a new type of virus that causes COVID-19 has been discovered in Panama – one said to be typical for the country. The new kind of virus was named A2 PAN.
According to Juan Miguel Pascale, director of ICGES, the novel virus has mutated from eight other types of virus from different regions of the world.
Since Panama is a significant regional transportation hub, it has been exposed to several different viruses – four from the United States, three from Europe and one from Asia, where the outbreak originated, according to Pascale. However, due to the lockdown, the local virus type has been prevented from spreading to other countries.
Panama’s borders are still closed in order to slow the spread of COVID-19, having registered over 20,000 cases and 437 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Originated in December 2019 in China, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation on 11 March.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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