Omicron: Brazil detects new variant in passengers returning from South Africa

The Federal Republic of Brazil, on Tuesday, November 30, detected two cases of Omicron COVID variant in passengers returning from South Africa. With the confirmed diagnosis, the country has become the first Latin American state to identify the new B.1.1.528 strain of SARS-CoV-2. Interestingly, the report just a day after Brazilian Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga downplayed the threat, stating that the Omicron COVID-19 variant is a strain of “concern” and not “despair.”

According to Sao Paulo State Health Secretariat, the infection was diagnosed in a 41-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman. Both of them underwent a COVID test on November 25, a day before the World Health Organisation (WHO)  declared Omicron as a ‘variant of concern.’ In the aftermath, both patients, who’ve reportedly shown mild symptoms, have been put into isolation. As of December 1, Brazil has reported a total of 22,094,459 cases with over 614,754 Coronavirus-related fatalities. 

Brazilian Health Minister downplays Omicron

Dismissing the concerns surrounding the new highly mutated variant of concern (VOC) B.1.1.529 named Omicron, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga on Monday downplayed the threat, stating that the Omicron COVID-19 variant is a strain of “concern” and not “despair.” Noting that Brazil’s healthcare system is “prepared to handle” the forthcoming COVID-19 wave, Queiroga, as per the Brazilian Report, claimed that the medic community in Brazil would provide quality healthcare to the entire population. 

Queiroga also outlined the COVID-appropriate safety protocols that the Brazilian population must adhere to concerning the Omicron variant, which originated in South Africa. He told the presser that all necessary measures would be the same as the government advised for other Coronavirus strains that circulated globally. The latter also insisted that the citizens must avoid non-essential travel and must not create a panic. Brazil has recorded 22,080,906 COVID-19 related fatalities and 614,278 cases since the pandemic hit. The Bolsonaro-led government had garnered mounting criticism for his lackadaisical approach and downplaying the virus as “little flu.” 

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(With inputs from AP)