Brazil reports two cases of Omicron variant, first in Latin America
FILE PHOTO: A nurse carries out a swab test on a patient as part of the new measures of Rio de Janeiro's government against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Sao Goncalo, near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, December 4, 2020. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes
RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil's health regulator Anvisa said on Tuesday that laboratory analysis had found two Brazilian cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, the first reported cases in Latin America.
Anvisa said a traveler arriving in Sao Paulo from South Africa and his wife had both apparently contracted the variant.
The traveler landed at Guarulhos international airport on Nov 23 with a negative test for COVID-19. But before a planned return trip, the couple tested positive and the samples were sent for further analysis, which identified the Omicron variant.
The samples will be sent for a second confirmatory analysis, the regulator said.
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