The Health Minster of Panama, Luis Sucre, said on 7 February 2021 that Panama is seeking to acquire over eight million COVID-19 vaccine doses to inoculate about 80% of the country's residents, Reuters news agency reported on Monday.

According to Sucre, Panama has requested about one million doses from the COVID-19 vaccine portfolio under the COVAX facility coordinated by the World Health Organisation to support lower-income countries.

It will acquire a further three million doses from US pharmaceutical firm Pfizer Inc and the same amount from Russia, which has developed the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.

Sucre added that Panama also aims to acquire 1.1 million doses manufactured by AstraZeneca PLC and 300,000 shots produced by Johnson & Johnson.

Reportedly, Panama has a population of about 4.2 million people but most COVID-19 vaccines require two shots spaced several weeks apart.