Husband And Wife Positively Infected, Brazil Reports First Case Of Omicron Variant In Latin America

Illustration of COVID-19 in Brazil. (Wikimedia Commons/Alice Mafra)

JAKARTA - Brazilian health regulator Anvisa said on Tuesday, two Brazilians had tested positive for the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the first cases reported in Latin America.

Anvisa said a traveler arriving in Sao Paulo from South Africa and his wife, who was not traveling, both tested positive for the Omicron variant, adding to concerns about the spread of this new variant globally before the recent travel ban took effect.

The traveler landed at Sao Paulo's Guarulhos international airport on November 23 testing negative for COVID-19. However, prior to the planned return trip, the pair tested positive, and samples were sent for further analysis identifying the Omicron variant.

Travelers arrived in Sao Paulo before the World Health Organization (WHO) first publicly flagged the Omicron variant, before Brazil decided on Friday to suspend flights from South Africa and five other South African countries.

A second test on the sample confirmed the variant, the State Government of Sao Paulo said, citing Reuters Dec. 1.

Two Brazilians who tested positive for the variant were missionaries, Sao Paulo Health Secretary Jean Gorinchteyn told CNN Brasil, adding there was no documentation to show they had been vaccinated.

Following the confirmation of cases of the Omicron variant, the State Government of Sao Paulo said it would review plans to relax rules around the use of masks.

To note, the Omicron variant was first officially identified in South Africa last week, but data now suggest that it circulated before then and has since been detected in more than a dozen countries.

Scientists around the world are rushing to determine whether the new variant, which has significant mutations compared to previous strains, is more infectious, lethal, or capable of evading vaccines. The work is expected to take weeks.

Meanwhile, countries around the world have imposed travel restrictions, especially on flights arriving from southern Africa despite warnings from the WHO that travel bans will not stop the spread of the new variant.