He arrived in Argentina! First case of ómicron variant detected

Buenos Aires.- Argentina confirmed on Sunday the first case detected in the country of the ómicron variant of covid-19, in a 38-year-old man, resident in the province of San Luis, who returned on November 30 from “a work event” in South Africa, official sources reported. In a statement, the Ministry of Health gave details of the case and opted to strengthen medical surveillance and prevention measures, with the “epidemiological objective” of “containing and delaying the possible community transmission of new variants of concern,” as well as increasing vaccination coverage. According to the text released today, the traveler in which the ómicron variant has been detected presents the complete vaccination scheme and history of covid-19 in March 2021, and a pcr test was carried out prior to the return trip to Argentina -where he arrived making a stopover in the United States-, being the result of the same negative. Read more: Maya Kaqchikel gives concert in meeting with indigenous singer-songwriters Upon arriving in the South American country, an antigen test was done at the international airport of the Buenos Aires town of Ezeiza, which confirmed the negative result. From there he moved to his home in San Luis in a rental car with a driver, and since his arrival in the town “he is in isolation,” according to the statement. Asymptomatic It was on December 2 when the man learned that people with whom he was in contact at the work event in South Africa – the country where the first cases of the variant were registered – “were diagnosed as positive COVID-19 cases”, so he consulted the health system of his city for this situation, “despite being asymptomatic.” New antigen and PCR tests were done and both were positive, after which, when a sample was studied, results were obtained with “deletions compatible with Ómicron or Alpha variants”. The Ministry added that the affected person has four close contacts, who are also in isolation in another home, do not present symptoms and that so far they have tested negative for coronavirus, although all will be tested again at the end of the isolation. Flights to Africa suspended In the face of the new ómicron variant, the Argentine Government had already defined days ago that anyone who has been in Africa the last two weeks must isolate themselves and perform a PCR test to receive the discharge of isolation, while it was decided to suspend direct air and sea transport with Africa. Argentina reported 1,294 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of positives since the beginning of the pandemic to 5,340,676, while deaths rose to 116,646, after three deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. Argentina recorded a daily record of infections on May 27, when 41,080 cases were reported, while the highest number of deaths in a single day was verified on June 22, with 792 deaths. Read more: Guaidó thanks Biden for invitation to summit of the leaders of democracyThe percentage of bed occupancy in intensive care units for all kinds of pathologies is 35.1% nationally and 40.1%, if only Buenos Aires and its periphery are considered.  Young man finds his dog lost after 6 years, but with another owner

Original source in Spanish