LIMA, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Peru confirmed 22 new cases of Omicron, bringing the total number of infected people with the COVID-19 variant to 71, Health Minister Hernando Cevallos reported Sunday.

Cevallos said that three of the new cases were detected in the Peruvian town of Sullana in the department of Piura, and "apparently all are from a single family."

He added that he has been in communication with the regional health department to ensure necessary measures are taken to prevent the variant from spreading in the town.

Most Omicron cases in the country have been concentrated in the Lima metropolitan area and Callao, a port city near the capital, though it is likely already present in other regions.

Of all the cases of Omicron identified so far in Peru, 77 percent of patients had received at least the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

After the appearance of the Omicron variant, Peruvian authorities decided to expedite the application of a third vaccine dose to stop a possible new wave of the disease.

Peru had registered 2,278,807 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 202,488 deaths from the disease as of Saturday, according to the latest data from the ministry of health. Enditem

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