Spain reports its first case of the new omicron variant 3:27
(Reuters) -
Nearly 70 doctors working in the intensive care unit of a Spanish hospital tested positive for covid-19 after attending a Christmas meal, health authorities reported on Monday.
Sixty-eight doctors from the Regional University Hospital of Malaga have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, said the Junta de Andalucía.
Health authorities said they were investigating the origin of the infections, but added that the 68 cases attended a Christmas party on December 1 in which 173 people gathered.
Spain is no longer among the highest risk destinations for covid-19 on the CDC list
Health workers stand at the main entrance of the Malaga Regional University Hospital, in Malaga, southern Spain, on December 6, 2021.
How did doctors get covid-19?
All the people in the group who contracted COVID-19 had recently received the booster dose and had undergone antigen testing before attending the meal, Andalusian health authorities said.
Those infected showed mild symptoms.
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The Andalusian health authorities recommended to the staff of other public and private hospitals not to attend Christmas celebrations.
Meanwhile, four cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus were confirmed in the Balearic Islands, according to health authorities.
A father recently arrived in the Balearic Islands and infected two members of his family, while a fourth infected person recently arrived in Spain from South Africa, according to authorities.
Spain confirmed a total of nine cases of the omicron variant, according to the Ministry of Health.
Covid-19 Spain