Investigators are trying to identify the origin of the cases, although there are no new cases since August 22.
The Ministry of Public Health of the Argentine province of Tucumán announced this Wednesday the death of a second person infected by a hitherto unknown virus that caused bilateral pneumonia. “We have detected six patients with bilateral pneumonia, of which one — belonging to health personnel — died last Monday, four are seriously hospitalized, and one is in home isolation,” the Minister of Health said at a press conference. of the province, Luis Medina Ruiz, before the second death was announced.
All those infected began to present symptoms between August 18 and 22 and have been tested for covid-19, Influenza, Influenza A and even B, giving all the tests negative, as detailed by Medina in statements to Public TV. “Possibly it is an infectious etiological agent (a virus), and we must demonstrate that and find out what it is, if it is a viral infectious germ of not so severe contagion”, the provincial Minister of Health has maintained, adding that since last August 22 there have been no new patients with this condition.
In addition, the health authorities are working to carry out the investigation of the outbreak, which includes the follow-up of the contacts of the cases and specific control actions in the health center where the outbreak arose, according to the ministry in a statement. All the registered cases correspond to five health workers and a patient from the intensive care service of the private hospital of San Miguel de Tucumán.