MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Community case of Delta coronavirus variant detected in Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul

The first case of community transmission has been spotted in the city of Nova Bassano

The Brazilian State of Rio Grande Do Sul, where President Jair Bolsonaro said last week they should get ready to welcome Argentine refugees, has instead Monday confirmed the community transmission of the coronavirus Delta variant in addition to three cases detected previously.

 The news has placed both Uruguayan and Argentine health authorities under alert, given the proximity to the borders.

The State Center for Health Surveillance of Rio Grande do Sul reported in a statement that “the first case of community transmission occurs in the city of Nova Bassano, in a person who traveled to Rio de Janeiro.”

By “community transmission,” specialists mean it is no longer possible to attribute the specific origin of the contagion.

In Rio Grande do Sul there are three other Delta cases in the city of Gramado, but these “have a link and contracted Covid-19 in the municipality,” the surveillance center said.

For now, the state of Rio de Janeiro is the one with the highest number of cases of the dreaded pathogen that is causing havoc in several countries, including several that seemed to have the scourge under control.

Until July 19, 74 of the total 97 cases of this strain found in Brazil mutation reported in the country were detected in Rio de Janeiro, including four deaths, according to data from the Ministry of Health.

Brazil has accumulated more than 19.7 million confirmed cases of coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic and exceeded the barrier of 500,000 deaths from the disease, the Ministry of Health reported.

With 578 deaths in the last 24 hours, the total reached 550,502, according to official data