Argentina reports record Covid cases for third straight day

Argentina posted a record number of Covid-19 cases for a third consecutive day as the Omicron variant surges across Latin America. 

The Health Ministry reported 109,608 cases on Thursday, more than double the number of infections seen on December 31. Yet the death toll as well as hospital occupancy remained relatively low: 40 people died of the virus and only 38 percent of intensive-care unit beds were taken -- about half the peak level seen last year for ICUs. 

Argentine health authorities haven’t yet resorted to the strict lockdown measures implemented at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. Earlier this week, officials announced that travelers arriving from abroad are now required to take an additional PCR test between the third and fifth day after entering the country. 

The country of 45 million has recorded 117,386 deaths from Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. Its immunization campaign, which started at a glacial pace, has accelerated notably in the past six months. Nearly 80% of Argentines are now fully vaccinated, according to Bloomberg’s Vaccine Tracker.