MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine province of Córdoba fears 90 cases of Omicron strain

The new outbreak “scares us,” Cardozo said

Health authorities in the Argentine province of Córdoba Tuesday said 90 high school graduates had caught COVID-19 during a party, while around 800 people have been isolated out of fear all cases might correspond to the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.

Córdoba's Health Minister Diego Cardozo said it was “highly probable” it was the Omicron variant, which is more contagious than the others. “In a matter of hours, we have had 90 cases,” Cardozo added.

The official also pointed out that “the transmission speed of this variant is impressive, we had not seen it with Delta.” Cardozo also explained that “we have sequenced the 90 samples of the positive cases in our Central Laboratory and they are not Delta, they are not Manaus , they are not Lambda and the characteristics of the genome allow us to say that they are compatible with the Omicron variant.”

”The only thing missing is the certification from the [Buenos Aires-based] Malbrán Institute,“ to corroborate it is indeed Omicron, Cardozo went on. He also insisted people should go get vaccinated because there was no shortage of doses.

The minister also admitted the new outbreak “scares us.”

Local authorities also announced the number of aymptomatic people who get tested voluntarily for COIVID-19 has increased between 20% and 30% throughout the province in recent days.

Of the 90 teenagers infected, some of them had mild symptoms while the others were in good health, according to local press reports. It is yet unknown how many of them were actually vaccinated against COVID-19.

Regarding the health pass, and the possible isolation of tourists from abroad, Córdoba's Secretary of Prevention and Health Promotion Gabriela Barbás said it was up to “the Ministry of Health of the Nation” but warned that provincial authorites favored it, together with the revision of protocols, “because with Ómicron we have to prepare differently.”

Córdoba's Health Minister Diego Cardozo said it was “highly probable” it was the Omicron variant, which is more contagious than the others. “In a matter of hours, we have had 90 cases,” Cardozo added.

The official also pointed out that “the transmission speed of this variant is impressive, we had not seen it with Delta.” Cardozo also explained that “we have sequenced the 90 samples of the positive cases in our Central Laboratory and they are not Delta, they are not Manaus , they are not Lambda and the characteristics of the genome allow us to say that they are compatible with the Omicron variant.”

”The only thing missing is the certification from the [Buenos Aires-based] Malbrán Institute,“ to corroborate it is indeed Omicron, Cardozo went on. He also insisted people should go get vaccinated because there was no shortage of doses.

The minister also admitted the new outbreak “scares us.”

Local authorities also announced the number of aymptomatic people who get tested voluntarily for COIVID-19 has increased between 20% and 30% throughout the province in recent days.

Of the 90 teenagers infected, some of them had mild symptoms while the others were in good health, according to local press reports. It is yet unknown how many of them were actually vaccinated against COVID-19.

Regarding the health pass, and the possible isolation of tourists from abroad, Córdoba's Secretary of Prevention and Health Promotion Gabriela Barbás said it was up to “the Ministry of Health of the Nation” but warned that provincial authorites favored it, together with the revision of protocols, “because with Ómicron we have to prepare differently.”