Argentina reported a third death from bilateral pneumonia of unknown origin in the province of Tucumán (northwest) and it is being investigated whether it is patient zero of the outbreak, health authorities reported this Thursday.
“This is a 70-year-old patient who was hospitalized in a private sanatorium,” said provincial Health Minister Luis Medina Ruiz, reporting her death at a press conference.
Among those infected, the Ministry of Health ruled out covid, flu and influenza as causes. This Thursday, the minister also ruled out that the origin could be hantavirus or legionella.
“We are studying the origin of the focus and the epidemiological link, we are still in the process of investigation,” he said.
Until Wednesday, the authorities had reported six cases and this Thursday they reported three more infections.
The third deceased was the only one among those infected who did not belong to the health personnel of the private clinic in San Miguel de Tucumán (1,300 km north of Buenos Aries), where the cases were reported and who has been isolated as a precaution.
The new fatal victim “had undergone surgery for a gallbladder problem and reoperated twice. From then on he had a picture of lung infection that coincides with the date of appearance (of symptoms) of the other patients,” said the minister.
“It is not very clear what the start was because everything is around August 20. We understand that it is patient zero at first, but that is under study,” added Medina Ruiz.
The samples of the first six cases are being investigated by the laboratory of the Malbrán Institute, the main benchmark in the country.
