Brazil confirms the first two cases of omicron variant

(CNN) – The Brazilian Health Agency, Anvisa, said on Tuesday that two Brazilians tested positive for the new variant of the omicron coronavirus.

This marks the first case of the omicron variant in Latin America and makes Brazil the 20th country to report the new variant.

A passenger, who had flown from South Africa on the 23rd with a negative covid-19 test result, took a new test together with his wife to prepare for a flight back to South Africa when the results came back positive.

“The Agency emphasizes that the entry of the passenger to Brazil occurred on 11/23, that is, before the global notification on the identification of the new variant,” added Anvisa. Since then, Brazil has suspended flights from South Africa.

The samples will be sent to another laboratory for a confirmatory analysis, Anvisa said.