According to the health minister in Canada, the first two instances of Omicron detect in Ontario. It is after two people who had just traveled from Nigeria tested positive. They are the first cases in North America.
Travelers who visited southern African countries in the past two weeks can not enter Canada. It is according to a ban that went into effect on Friday.
In a statement, Canada’s Health Minister, Jean-Yves Duclos, announced that the Public Health Agency of Canada had told him today that testing and surveillance of COVID-19 cases had verified two cases of the Omicron variation of concern in Ontario.
“It is expected that other cases of this variant will be found in Canada,” he said. The monitoring and testing continue.
So far, the Omicron strain is in at least a dozen countries. Thereby, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Denmark, Israel, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, and South Africa.
Also, there have been no confirmed cases of the new strain in the United States.
President Joe Biden will “give an update on the new variation and the US reaction on Monday,” according to the White House.
Dr. Anthony Fauci is a top US infectious disease authority and he stated that acquiring definitive information on the new coronavirus strain will likewise take two weeks.
The World Health Organization has recognized Omicron as a “variant of concern”. Also, countries around the world are prohibiting travel from southern Africa. The new strain was first detected, as well as implementing other additional protections.
Finding out if there are notable changes in transmissibility, severity, or implications for COVID-19 vaccines, diagnostics, and therapies could also take several weeks, according to the WHO.