Jers Medical Panama, Inc. donated 1,000 Sofia antigenic tests and 2 Sofia analyzers to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Panama to procure timely diagnoses of positive COVID-19 cases at the Migrant Reception Stations in Darien.  

The Sofia test is one of the fastest in the world with a minimum of false negative results, positively impacting the accuracy of case detections. It will serve as a primary factor in controlling the virus, saving lives, and effectively serving the migrant population present in the Migrant Reception Stations located in this region of the country. The donation of these supplies, which deliver results with high specificity and sensitivity, was managed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). 

Dario Martínez, President of Jers Medical Panama, Inc., noted that the donation is given as a support for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic and the flow of migrants entering the country through the Darien jungle. This is one of the most vulnerable populations whose situation has become more critical during the pandemic. 

Ivette Berrío, Deputy Minister of Health, thanked the support of IOM and stressed the importance of donations from companies such as Jers Medical Panama Inc. to strengthen the actions carried out by the Ministry of Health in the Migration Reception Stations in the province of Darien. 

The event was held on April 30, 2021, and was attended by Diana Lozano, Cooperation and Health Specialist at the U.S. Embassy in Panama; Daniela Arias, Head of the International Cooperation Department of the National Migration Service; Danielle McAbee, Sales Distribution Manager in Latin America for Quidel Corporations, manufacturers of the Sofia tests. 

 “This donation is part of a set of cooperative actions that IOM has been carrying out in Panama to strengthen primary health care during the COVID-19 pandemic, with efforts especially aimed at the migrant population”, stressed Santiago Paz, Head of Panama Administrative Center and Chief of Mission of IOM in Panama. 

For further information, contact Mayteé Zachrisson, Communications and Media Assistant at IOM in Panama, via mzachrisson@iom.int.