Panama says buying vaccines for more than 80% of its population

MEXICO CITY, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Panama has sought to acquire more than 8 million coronavirus vaccine doses to inoculate about 80% of the Central American nation's residents, Health Minister Luis Sucre said on Sunday.

Panama has a population of about 4.2 million people but most coronavirus vaccines require two shots spaced several weeks apart.

Panama has requested about 1 million doses from the COVID-19 vaccine portfolio under the COVAX facility coordinated by the World Health Organization to support lower-income countries, Sucre said.

Panama will acquire a further 3 million doses from U.S. pharmaceutical firm Pfizer Inc PFE.N and the same amount from Russia, which has developed the Sputnik V vaccine.

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

(Reporting by Elida Moreno in Panama City;
Writing by Drazen Jorgic; editing by Diane Craft)

((drazen.jorgic@tr.com; Reuters Messaging: drazen.jorgic.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))