#B11529 #OmicronVariant #Omicron
Quebec confirmed its first case of the Omicron COVID-19 variant on Monday, raising the number of confirmed cases of the newly-discovered variant in Canada to three.
Health Minister Christian Dubé told a news conference experts are working to sequence the tests and to confirm whether the variant is more contagious or more vaccine-resistant than previous strains.
Quebec’s first case was a recent traveler to Nigeria, public health director Horacio Arruda said, similar to the two cases reported on Sunday by Ontario province.
The arrival of the new variant ahead of the Christmas holiday season comes as Quebec faces a recent hike in cases, mostly in the unvaccinated, Dube said. In the last 24 hours Quebec reported 756 new cases.
Ontario said on Monday it had not detected any more cases of Omicron. But chief medical officer Kieran Moore told reporters that “in an abundance of caution…we really do need enhanced testing of returning travelers. We’re pushing that from the government of Ontario’s perspective.”
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