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Mexico’s health officials confirm first case of Omicron from South African visitor

Mexico City, Mexico — Health officials in Mexico have confirmed its first case of Omicron. The suspected case was confirmed Friday by the government who said it was detected in a South African visitor who arrived in the country in November.

The official confirmation was made by the Undersecretary of Health, Hugo López-Gatell, who said it was found in a 51-year-old person from South Africa.

“They have a mild illness and voluntarily entered a private hospital in Mexico City to avoid contagion. Their recovery prognosis is favorable,” wrote the official.

As reported by the General Directorate of Epidemiology through the Institute for Epidemiological Diagnosis and Reference (InDRE), the person infected with the omicron variant is 51 years old and of South African origin who arrived in Mexico on November 21.

Five days later, mild symptoms of Covid-19 were presented. On November 26, they received medical attention at a private facility in Mexico City, at which time, the antigen test and RT-PCR were found to be positive.

On social media Gatell reported “The first positive case of the omicron variant in Mexico is a 51-year-old person from South Africa. They have a mild illness and voluntarily admitted to a private hospital in Mexico City to avoid contagion. The prognosis for recovery is favorable.

The Ministry of Health later detailed that so far, the people who had contact with the individual did not register symptoms or positivity to Covid-19.

To date, the circulation of the variants of concern, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Ómicron, has been identified in Mexico. The Omicron variant has already been detected in Mexico’s two neighboring countries, Canada and the United States.