Copa America coronavirus cases rise to 166

CONMEBOL said 22,856 tests had been taken with people related to the tournament, and 0.7% of the results came back positive. At the beginning of the week that figure was at 0.9%.

Chile's team stand during the playing of the national anthem before a Copa America match against Paraguay. (Photo | AP) 

RIO DE JANEIRO: There were 166 known COVID-19 cases at the Copa America in Brazil, CONMEBOL said on Friday.

The figures included all tests up to Monday, the same day the soccer body said 140 people had been infected in connection with the tournament.

CONMEBOL said 22,856 tests had been taken with people related to the tournament, and 0.7% of the results came back positive. At the beginning of the week that figure was at 0.9%.

CONMEBOL works with Brazil's health ministry to track cases. More than 510,000 known people have died due to the coronavirus.

The statement also said most of the positive cases were of outsourced workers who were yet to be vaccinated. CONMEBOL said it has no control over why those people didn't get their shots.

Seventeen players have tested positive since the tournament began, and 15 of them were available to their national team after time in isolation, CONMEBOL said.