COVID-19 variant first identified in India will be dominant strain in Peel Region in a month, top doctor says
Peel Region’s medical officer of health says a more virulent COVID-19 variant of concern will soon become the dominant strain in Peel ahead of any other region in Ontario.
Dr. Lawrence Loh said the B.1.617 variant, which was recently dubbed Delta by the World Health Organization, could displace and overtake the current dominant B.1.1.7 variant, now known as Alpha, within one month.
“Preliminary analysis from the science table suggests that in one month the Delta variant will be the dominant strain in our region with the rest of Ontario weeks behind,” Loh said Wednesday morning during Brampton’s weekly COVID-19 update.
“With initial signals suggesting that the Delta variant is also more transmissible and severe on top of the Alpha variant, this means we very much welcome the province’s continued cautious reopening as one component to preventing a fourth wave,” he added.
The highly-contagious Alpha variant, which was first discovered in the United Kingdom, started to spread throughout the province earlier this year contributing to a significant jump in new coronavirus infections and hospital admissions during the third wave of the pandemic, nearly overwhelming the provincial health-care system.
Daily infections topped 4,000 throughout April prompting the provincial government to issue another stay-at-home order and close down schools.
The Delta variant, which rapidly spread throughout India causing widespread hospitalizations and deaths, was first identified in Ontario later in April.
Recent studies conducted in England suggest that Delta is more transmissible than Alpha, and can cause more severe symptoms in younger adults than earlier strains of coronavirus.
To date, there are at least 97 lab-confirmed cases of the Delta variant in Peel Region and a total of 322 cases in Ontario, according to Public Health Ontario (PHO).
However, PHO has not been able to develop a mass screening tool to easily and quickly detect the Delta variant like it does for other variants, resulting in a slower turnover rate of positive results and an inaccurate picture of how quickly Delta is spreading in the province.
Instead, PHO screens for Delta using whole genome sequencing, where the entire DNA of the sample virus is mapped out in a lab. Ontario’s chief medical officer of health has said there is no easy way to screen for Delta using modified PCR testing, which is how the other variants of concern are screened.
While speaking to CP24 Wednesday morning, infectious diseases specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch, who also sits on the province’s COVID-19 vaccine task force, acknowledged that cases of the Delta variant are growing across the province.
"The variant initially discovered in India... it actually is out-competing B.1.1.7, that's a variant initially discovered in the United Kingdom. And we're seeing this gradually takeover. So, again, what's the answer to this? Vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate, which is exactly what we're doing here in Canada,” he said.
Loh said the best method to combat the Delta variant is a combination of a cautious reopening approach and ramping up vaccinations.
“Science is clear that with the new variant, the new Delta variant growing, we need to move quickly to two doses for maximum protection,” he said.
“I understand that these analyses from our science table partners are preliminary, but there is discussion underway to see what it would mean in terms of accelerating second doses in regions such as Peel where the Delta variant is becoming increasingly predominant.”
Loh added that accelerating second doses will help fight a possible fourth wave ignited by the Delta variant.
Last week, the provincial government released its two-dose strategy with residents 80 years and older allowed to start booking their second shot as of Monday. Premier Doug Ford said he expects all residents 12 years and older who want a vaccine to receive their second dose by the end of summer.
-With files from CP24’s Chris Herhalt.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.