Colombia's national health institute has identified three cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in the country, the health ministry said on Monday.
Two of the people had visited the United States and one had visited Spain, Health Minister Fernando Ruiz said in a statement. Two are Colombian and one is from the United States."This is in line with what we have been announcing for several weeks in terms of the imminent arrival of the variant to Colombia, which is now circulating in more than 80 countries," Ruiz said. "As it stands we have not identified any community transmission.
"The government is urging Colombians to finish their vaccinations ahead of the Christmas season.The Andean country has a population of about 50 million and is also vaccinating Venezuelan migrants regardless of their migratory status. That population is estimated at at least 1.8 million people.Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb Editing by Sonya Hepinstall Editing by Chris ReeseSubscribe for our daily curated newsletter to receive the latest exclusive Reuters coverage delivered to your inbox.
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