At least 4 cases of omicron variant confirmed in Thunder Bay, Ont., as case counts spike
CBC
Four cases of the omicron COVID-19 variant have been detected in Thunder Bay, with four other cases expected to be confirmed in northwestern Ontario in the coming days.
The Thunder Bay District Health Unit said the cases have a direct link to southern Africa, where the variant was first detected, and all impacted individuals are in the same household and have been isolating.
The cases are the first of the omicron variant to be found in northwestern Ontario. The announcement came about a week after the first cases were detected in Canada.
Dr. Janet DeMille, medical officer of health for the Thunder Bay district, said initial screening indicated the cases could be the delta variant, but further testing confirmed it was the omicron variant.
"Quick action on the part of these individuals led to very early notification of an individual with COVID-19 where omicron was a possibility due to the travel connection," DeMille said in a written statement.
The World Health Organization has said researchers are studying omicron, but it is not yet clear if it is more transmissible than previous variants or causes more severe illness. Scientists have expressed concern the mutations could affect vaccine effectiveness, as well as transmissibility of the virus and even the severity of disease.
The emergence of the variant prompted the federal government to implement restrictions for travellers coming from several African countries last month.
In a news release announcing the cases, the health unit urged anyone who has travelled to 10 African countries to seek testing.
The detection of the variant cases comes as overall case numbers in the Thunder Bay area have climbed in the last few weeks.
The health unit announced 54 new COVID-19 cases on Monday. It's the highest number of cases announced at one time since March, although the update covers a three-day period with numbers not reported over the weekend. All but one of the new cases is in the Thunder Bay area.
Nineteen of the individuals who tested positive are household contacts of previously announced cases, while 26 are considered other close contacts. Three are linked to travel outside of northwestern Ontario and four had no known exposure to the virus.
The active case count in the Thunder Bay district is now 137.
There have been 225 cases announced in the Thunder Bay district since Nov. 20, which is more than the combined totals from June, July, August, September and October.
In recent days, cases have been associated with five different schools in Thunder Bay:
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