Three cases of Omicron strain detected in Colombia: Health Ministry

Colombia has identified three cases of the Omicron coronavirus strain in people arriving from abroad, the first indication that the highly infectious variant has spread to the Latin American nation, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection said on Tuesday.

"The presence of the Omicron variant in Colombia is confirmed. Through analyzes carried out by the Genomic Surveillance Network, the @INSColombia has identified 3 cases," the ministry wrote on Twitter.

According to the ministry, these are three travellers from the United States and Spain. Two of them are Colombian citizens, the third one is a US citizen. The three patients, as well as all people with whom they crossed paths, are currently under medical supervision.

Omicron was first detected in South Africa in late November. The World Health Organization designated it a "variant of concern" due to exceptionally high number of mutations. Despite the new wave of travel bans on Africa, the new variant has since been detected in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. (ANI/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )