Omicron identified in all four Atlantic provinces after first case reported in N.L.
Global News
Unlike the other three provinces, N.L. did not make a link between its case of Omicron and the COVID-19 outbreak at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia.
The Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus has reached all four Atlantic provinces, after Newfoundland and Labrador on Wednesday confirmed its first case of the mutation believed to be more infectious than Delta.
But unlike the other three provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador did not make a link between its case of Omicron and the COVID-19 outbreak at a university in Nova Scotia. Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, chief medical officer of health, said the source of the infection has been linked to travel within Canada.
“It spreads more easily from person to person,” Fitzgerald said of the new variant. “While Delta is still the predominant strain in Canada, it is likely only a matter of time before Omicron replaces it.”
Noting that COVID-19 cases are climbing once again across the country, Fitzgerald told a news conference that anyone returning from a post-secondary institution outside the province must have a PCR test upon arrival or self-isolate for two weeks. In the coming days, the province will also begin providing all arriving travellers with a package of take-home rapid test kits, she added.
Fitzgerald said 13 new cases of COVID-19 had been identified in the province since Monday.
Omicron cases in both New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island have been tied to an early December outbreak at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S.
In Nova Scotia on Wednesday, officials reported 178 new COVID-19 cases and said six people were hospitalized with the disease, including two patients in intensive care.
On Tuesday, the province’s Health Department linked a total of 344 positive cases to the university outbreak, which has resulted in tightened public health measures that will go into effect Friday. Restrictions include new indoor and outdoor gathering limits.