12 new people test positive for coronavirus, lifting total to 68

Government officials confirmed to Perfil Monday that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases had risen by 12, taking the total number of those infected with Covid-19 in the country to 68.

The update, which involves new cases diagnosed in the last 24 hours, is the largest daily rise yet since the coronavirus outbreak began.

"At the moment, in Argentina the majority of cases are imported and local transmission is detected in close contacts, without evidence of community transmission. The country is still in the containment phase," a Health Ministry official told Perfil.

There remains confusion, however, over where the new confirmed cases are located. In the government's official daily report, officials said five cases were in Buenos Aires City, with three in Chaco Province and one in Buenos Aires Province. 

However, data from the Buenos Aires provincial government released Monday said that four individuals had been newly diagnosed in the country's most-populous region. 

National officials said that eight of the new confirmed cases involved people who had recently travelled to "at risk areas." At least one case in Chaco Province involves a healthcare professional who has been attending patients at a health centre, a source from the Health Ministry said.

To date, two people have died after contracting Covid-19: a 62-year-old man, said to be a heavy smoker, who lived in the province of Chaco, and a 64-year-old man who suffered from various chronic diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, bronchitis and kidney problems.

– TIMES/PERFIL