MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Coronavirus cases in Argentina climbs to 17; minister admits the virus arrived faster than expected

Argentine Health minister Ginés González García admitted he expected the Covid-19 would take some more time before reaching the country

Argentina's health ministry announced on Monday five new confirmed cases of coronavirus, taking the total number to 17. All of them were described as imported cases since they involved people who arrived from overseas. They include a patient in Buenos Aires City, two from Chaco province, one from San Luis and the fifth in Patagonia Rio Negro province.

The ministry added health officials in the different provinces are involved in the epidemiologic research of the new confirmed cases, with the purpose of reaching close contacts to ensure they comply with the home isolation and daily monitoring as established in the protocol for the disease.

Likewise the ministry recommends all those persons arriving in Argentina and who have spent time in regions with coronavirus transmission to remain at home and not attend public places, and avoid work, leisure, sport and social environments during fourteen days.

Meanwhile the Argentine Health minister Ginés González García admitted he expected the Covid-19 would take some more time before reaching the country, “I never expected it would be so quick, after all it's summer, but I admit it surprised us”

Nevertheless the ministry believes all the necessary measures have been taken, “as we assess evolution of the coronavirus” and vaccination against common flu was advanced, so as to avoid the confluence of the two diseases. “We have forty people under daily control for possible contacts with the only Covid 19 death reported so far, but the short list includes sixteen potential contacts”.

Officials from the Infectology Department of the ministry also revealed that the coronavirus that first appeared in China and spread to the world, has so far two main strains, identified as L and S; the L is considered milder, and is the one that emerged from the Wuhan province. However the S strain, which is much stronger in its effects, has been identified in the European Union, and is prevalent among coronavirus cases in Argentina.