First  case of Omicron variant  detected in Panama

The Ministry of Health (Minsa)  confirmed on Monday, December 20, that the first case of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 has been detected in Panama.

Health Minister Luis Francisco Sucre,  said it was detected on, Sunday, December 19, in a 50-year-old man.

Sucre, said the health authorities are also monitoring six people who had contact with the infected man during his trip from South Africa where he had traveled for work reasons as he is part of the staff of a mining project being developed in Panama.

He added that the suspect group is in quarantine, and will undergo PCR and antigen tests to find out if they were infected.

Sucre clarified that the infected person has his complete vaccination scheme and that he entered the country with a negative PCR test.

The minister said that, due to the biosafety protocol that mining companies have in the country, he is confident that the infected person was not circulating in Panama City.

The man was always isolated and had no contact with anyone else within the project. First, a test was carried out on the third day of entering the country and it came out negative. After the fifth day, a PCR and an antigen test were performed, which were positive. However, the patient is asymptomatic, Sucre said.

The staff of the Gorgas Memorial Institute was in charge of verifying that the Omicron variant was present in the patient.

Sucre asked the population to redouble biosafety measures, such as hand washing, the use of masks, and physical distancing in the presence of this case – which he called imported.

Costa Rica
The announcement came a day after the Costa Rican health authorities confirmed that an eight-year-old boy was detected with the omicron variant.

According to reports from the neighboring country, the minor traveled with his family to the United States and then, upon returning Costa Rica, the contagion was detected, presenting fever, pain in the body and general malaise