BUENOS AIRES, March 3 (Reuters) - Argentina has its first confirmed case of the new coronavirus, according to a technician from an official laboratory that carried out the test.

Flavio Vergara, a technician at the state-operated lab Malbran in Buenos Aires on Tuesday confirmed the test result to Reuters by phone.

“The result was positive,” Vergara said, declining to give further details of the case.

The first reported case in South America was reported in Brazil on Feb. 26. (Reporting by Nicolas Misculin; Writing by Cassandra Garrison; Editing by Bill Berkrot)