Canada detects first coronavirus variant cases: health officials
- by Claude Bryan
- in Markets
- — Dec 27, 2020
Public Health Agency of Canada's (PHAC) National Microbiology Laboratory, which monitors Canadian COVID-19 cases, expects more cases of this and other variants maybe be found in the country.
Both individuals have been informed and are now in self-isolation as per public health protocols, it said.
The variant has also been detected in other countries around the world, including Denmark, Japan, Israel and Sweden.
And with inbound global travel, Yaffe said it was not unexpected to have identified the new variant in Ontario.
The new variant is believed to spread easier and faster than the original version of the disease but is not believed to be more deadly.
First identified in the United Kingdom, the province says the variant can spread "easier and faster", but that there is no evidence to suggest that it is more likely to cause severe illness.
The Ontario government noted the discovery of the variant was "not unexpected" due to worldwide travel, and repeated a call for the federal government to increase testing at airports.
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The province also confirmed another 49 COVID-19 related deaths today, bringing the total to 4,278.
Ontario has reported more than 2,100 daily new cases of COVID-19 for nine days straight.
"Regardless of whether federal support is forthcoming, the Ontario government is prepared to act on its own to implement an airport testing program", the Ontario government said on Saturday.
There were also 81 additional deaths during those days, the provincial government said.
Hospital data revealed 1,002 patients with COVID-19, 275 in intensive care and 186 on ventilators.
Almost 56,700 tests were completed over the last day in Ontario. On Friday, Japanese officials confirmed five infections.
The previous record daily high was reported last week at 2,432 and the seven-day average of new cases is now 2,306.
