MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Nine more cases of Delta variant detected in Argentina, all of them were travellers from abroad

So far, Argentina has detected 15 cases of Covid-19 of the Delta variant

Argentine authorities have confirmed the detection of nine more cases of the coronavirus Delta variant, the Health Ministry announced Monday through a statement.

The findings correspond to travellers who arrived from Paraguay, the United States and Mexico. Two of them had positive antigen test results upon entering the country, while the remainder were positive in the PCR controls carried out on the seventh day of isolation.

Of the new cases detected, six are residents of the city of Buenos Aires and three of the province of Buenos Aires. After they arrived in the country, they carried out isolations in hotels and homes, according to national and local regulations.

Three of the cases were adults who had been vaccinated during their stay in Miami, United States.

In Argentina, no cases of the Delta variant have been detected in people without a history of travelling abroad or related to an international traveller, according to an epidemiological alert issued Monday by the Health Ministry.

Health authorities are conducting the epidemiological investigation of the close contacts of each flight, as well as the follow-up of the confirmed cases and their close contacts to comply with the corresponding isolations, intending to control the possible spread of this variant of concern.

Argentina's health ministry also insisted Monday that people postpone their trips abroad, while land borders are still closed, the entry of non-resident foreigners in the country is prohibited, and a negative molecular biology test is required with a maximum notice of 72 hours before the trip and a test upon entry to the country for people who arrive at the authorized airports (Ezeiza, Aeroparque and San Fernando) and the Buenos Aires Port terminal.

Those with a positive antigen test upon arrival in the country should perform isolation at a hotel at their own expense as instructed by their local jurisdictions. All other international travellers must remain isolated for seven days and carry out a molecular test on the seventh day of entry.

So far, Argentina has detected 15 cases of Covid-19 of the Delta variant thanks to the work of the National Reference Laboratory of the INEI-ANLIS. Five of them were tested as positive in Ezeiza, being asymptomatic at the time of admission, two of whom showed symptoms in the following days; while the remaining 10 had obtained a negative result when entering the country, but eight developed symptoms and two remained asymptomatic during their period of isolation. In addition, four of the travellers had been vaccinated on their trip abroad.