Health authorities of the Argentine province Tucuman (North) reported this Thursday the death of a third person due to the outbreak bilateral pneumonia of unknown origin in the Luz Médica sanatorium, the number of victims increased to nine people.
Minister of Health Tucumana, Luis Medina Ruizannounced at a press conference that the third deceased is a 70-year-old non-healthcare worker who underwent surgery at the clinic and who may be “Patient Zero”.
The woman joins two deaths reported yesterday by the provincial health authority: a 45-year-old man with underlying medical conditions and other medical staff.
Medina Ruiz added that three more people have been identified who match the same outbreak and that they have clinical characteristics of bilateral pneumonia, that they belong to the medical staff of the sanatorium and that the symptoms started between 20 and 23 August.
She is a 40-year-old first-aid kit, ended up in a state hospital with a fever; A 44-year-old nurse at home and another 30-year-old nurse with comorbidities who was hospitalized.
These three individuals are epidemiologically linked to the six initial cases, which correspond to five healthcare workers and a patient who developed symptoms between August 18 and 22.
Serious Patients
The minister added that two patients from the outbreak were hospitalized with artificial lung ventilation and are in serious condition, the prognosis is modest.
Health authorities are still investigating the origin of the outbreak linked to a sanatorium located in the provincial capital, which has been in preventive isolation for seven days.
Epidemiological studies conducted so far have ruled out numerous bacterial and viral pathogens, including COVID-19, influenza (both influenza A and influenza B), or hantavirus.
For this reason, the health authorities Tucuman They sent the collected samples to the Malbran Institute, located in the city of Buenos Aires, and hope to have the results “before the weekend.”
(EFE)
Source: RPP
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