Hamilton, Peel Region confirm first cases of COVID-19 Omicron variant
Health officials in Hamilton and Peel Region confirmed Saturday their first cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
In a news release issued Saturday evening, Peel Public Health said the region’s first case was identified in an individual who is a close contact of a travel-related case in Halton Region.
The health unit said that the person is isolating at home and added that the risk of further spread is low.
“With variants like Omicron emerging around the world, residents must continue to mask, socially distance, and get tested and isolate when sick,” Dr. Lawrence Loh, Peel Region’s medical officer of health, said in a statement.
“More importantly, I encourage you to get two doses of the vaccine as soon as possible. Those eligible for a third or booster dose are encouraged to get their additional dose as well.”
Earlier in the day, Hamilton also reported its first case of the Omicron variant of concern.
Hamilton Public Health Services (HPHS) announced Monday that there were two suspected cases of the Omicron variant after two individuals tested positive for COVID-19 following a trip to South Africa.
On Saturday morning, Public Health Ontario confirmed that one of those individuals tested positive for the variant, which was first discovered in southern Africa last week.
“The result for the second case under investigation is in the process of being sequenced and expected in the coming days,” HPHS said in a press release.
The two individuals and their close contacts are self-isolating and HPHS is conducting case and contact management.
“It’s important for the community to remain calm and have confidence that all levels of government will follow the science as it relates to the Omicron variant,” Dr. Ninh Tran, Hamilton’s associate medical officer of health, said in a statement.
“Hamilton Public Health Services remains committed to keeping the community updated in the coming days and weeks as we learn more about the Omicron variant,” he added.
All public health units in Ontario have been directed to manage confirmed cases of COVID-19 who travelled internationally in the past 14 days as a patient under investigation for Omicron.
With the two new cases Saturday, the Omicron variant has been discovered in all health units in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
On Friday, Toronto confirmed its first three cases of the Omicron variant in two individuals who returned from a trip to Nigeria and the other who travelled to Switzerland.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.