The government released a protocol of action against the Delta variant: how cases are classified and what to do in each situation

The Health Ministry issued a circular on Saturday in which it detailed a series of transitional measures that will now be implemented throughout Argentina, with the aim of delaying the arrival of the Delta variant of the coronavirus in the country.

In the text, the national authorities have explained, for example, what will be the circumstances that will be taken into account for qualify a case of COVID-19 as suspect, probable, confirmed, linked or excluded from this mutation, and what needs to be done in each of these situations.

First, the portfolio led by Carla Vizzotti clarified that all these new guidelines “They will be temporary and will be updated by the Department of Epidemiology”, as the health situation evolves.

In this regard, he stressed that this decision was taken “due to the notification of two confirmed cases of COVID-19 with identification of the Delta variant (lineage B.1.617.2) with no known epidemiological link with international travelers” and “the increasing number of imported cases”.

“In this context and with the objective of contributing to the containment of the circulation of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, the Epidemiology Department of the Ministry of Health of the Nation, in agreement with the jurisdictional epidemiological authorities and the laboratory national reference of INEI-ANLIS has the following monitoring and control measures for suspected, probable and confirmed cases of the Delta variant and for close contact with confirmed or probable cases. They will be of an extraordinary and transitory nature, ”the government explained.

In this way it will now be considered Suspicious Delta variant “Any confirmed case of COVID-19 in international travelers” that does not have “identification” of the lineage.

In the meantime, they will be classified as likely those “in which a positive rt-PCR screening result is obtained” and confirmed, when it is verified “by partial or complete genomic sequencing” and when it is a “probable case and epidemiological link with a confirmed case” of this variant.

In the ranking of Related Infected people who do not have a variant identification and are in close contact with a confirmed case with Delta or who are part of a chain of transmission, or are symptomatic and close contacts of a person with this variant and have not been studied in the laboratory (cases with clinical epidemiological confirmation criteria). In all these cases, a sample must be taken and studied in the laboratory.

Finally, they will only be discarded suspected or probable cases in which the infected person has been confirmed to have another lineage of coronavirus.

Measures to be observed in each situation:

All probable, confirmed or related Delta variant cases should be isolated for 10 days as soon as symptoms appear (for symptomatic) or diagnosis (for asymptomatic).

In addition, the Government will carry out clinical follow-up with a frequency of at least three days and on the tenth day an RT-PCR will be carried out, with the patient’s consent, for the purpose of generating evidence and not for clinical management or discharge.

The objective of this, according to the national authorities, is “to compare with the original results (positivity and Ct) and to attempt viral isolation, with the aim of generating local evidence on the potential for transmissibility”.

As for close contacts should be quarantined for 14 days since the last contact with the suspected or confirmed case, and undergo a PCR test from the seventh day to be discharged, as long as the result thereof is negative.

Epidemiological investigation:

All infected people who have tested positive for COVID-19 after international travel and close contact should be investigated and followed up by the jurisdiction of habitual residence, who will send the Epidemiology Department of the National Health Ministry the results of the epidemiological investigations carried out on all the probable or confirmed cases of the Delta variant and their close contacts.

This procedure is carried out within 24 hours of the start of the investigations and with the information available until then. If the work has not been completed, the final report will be sent later.

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