January 7

The daily number of coronavirus infections in Argentina has surpassed 100,000.

Health authorities say that new cases hit a record high of 109,608 on Thursday. Infections have been increasing rapidly since mid-December.

The highly transmissible Omicron variant is believed to be spreading in Argentina. A local expert says the actual total is likely to be higher than the confirmed figure, as the rate of positive test results has risen to 50 percent.

The Argentine government says serious cases and deaths have not increased significantly. It plans to strengthen vaccination programs and COVID-19 testing, rather than restrict economic activities.

More than 6 million people have been confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus in Argentina, which has a population of 45 million. Over 117,000 people have died so far.

In another South American country, Bolivia, daily cases exceeded 10,000 on Wednesday -- a new record high. Infections are also rising in Brazil and Peru.

NHK