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
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.