PANAMA CITY, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Panama registered 17 new cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total number of the variant's cases to 26, the Ministry of Health reported.
The new cases involved 11 women and six men between the ages of 24 and 60, according to the Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Studies, the ministry said.
The cases were detected in Panama City's metropolitan area and San Miguelito in Panama province, as well as in the neighboring province of Panama Oeste.
None of the patients required hospitalization, the ministry said, adding they have been in isolation since testing positive.
The Central American country's first case of the variant was detected on Dec. 20 in a 50-year-old man.
According to health authorities, all but one of those infected had traveled to South Africa, Colombia, Spain, the United States or Puerto Rico. Enditem
