Lineage of the virus was detected in a 48-year-old engineer who left the country to conduct research in Africa.
The Minister of Public Health, Ximena Garzón, confirmed on Tuesday night the 14th the presence of the first case of the omicron variant of COVID-19 in Ecuadorian territory.
He is a 48-year-old engineer who left the country in mid-November to carry out research on the African continent., with two colleagues from Agrocalidad.
Genomic sequencing tests carried out by the National Institute for Public Health Research (Inspi) determined the presence of the COVID-19 variant in the patient’s body this Tuesday, Garzón said.
Upon arrival of the engineer and his two companions, it was already planned that they would keep mandatory preventive isolation for 15 days due to their presence in South Africa. The passengers entered the country on December 10.
“Aware that there was a risk, immediately, as soon as he arrived in our country, he performed mandatory preventive isolation in a hotel near the airport (in Quito); He presented symptoms on the flight back to Ecuador, ”said the minister.
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On his return to the country, the infected had presented two negative PCR tests for COVID-19 and had also already received the two doses of the anti-COVID-19 vaccine.
The Ministry indicated that upon arrival the three passengers were subjected to PCR tests. The 48-year-old engineer’s test came back positive.
Garzón said that the patient is stable and has no complications. “He has mild symptoms and has stayed in the hotel,” he said.
A total of 150 people from the passenger’s last flight, on the Panama City-Quito route, remain in the epidemiological fence.
Likewise, the two companions of the engineer in the investigation are still in isolation.
The Minister of Health urged citizens to go to the immunization points to receive the doses of vaccines available. “There is no better shield than the vaccine,” he said. (I)
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