There are two confirmed cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus in Ottawa, the Ontario government announced Sunday.
“Today, the province of Ontario has confirmed two cases of the omicron variant of COVID-19 in Ottawa, both of which were reported in individuals with recent travel from Nigeria. Ottawa Public Health is conducting case and contact management and the patients are in isolation,” the statement said.
Reuters is reporting that health officials say the cases were reported in two people who had recently traveled to Nigeria.
These are the first cases of the omicron variant confirmed in Canada, after the country implemented new travel restrictions Friday on foreign nationals who had visited seven countries in southern Africa over the preceding two weeks.
Very little is actually known about the new variant, although the World Health Organization (WHO) has labeled it a “virus of concern.” Omicron has been linked to a rapid rise in cases in southern Africa.
“The best defense against the omicron variant is stopping it at our border. In addition to the measures recently announced, we continue to urge the federal government to take the necessary steps to mandate point-of-arrival testing for all travelers irrespective of where they’re coming from to further protect against the spread of this new variant,” said the statement from Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott and Dr. Kieran Moore, the province’s chief medical officer of health.
On Monday, given that much of the world remains unvaccinated against COVID-19, the WHO issued a warning, according to USA Today: “There could be future surges of COVID-19, which could have severe consequences, depending on a number of factors including where surges may take place. The overall global risk related to the (Omicron variant) is assessed as very high.”
