Against the backdrop of the discovery of the Omicron variant in Quebec and Ontario, the Minister of Health Christian Dubé and the national director of public health Horacio Arruda take stock Monday at 1 p.m. on the situation of COVID-19.
The Omicron variant was qualified as “of concern” Friday by the World Health Organization (WHO). The first two cases of this variant on Canadian territory were detected Sunday in Ontario. Ontario health authorities confirmed Monday morning that the two people had first transited through Montreal on their return from a stay in Nigeria.
First detected in South Africa, the B.1.1.529 variant prompted the Canadian government to close its borders to foreign nationals who had stayed in seven countries in southern Africa. Nigeria, which is rather located in West Africa, is not on the list.
Several public health experts fear that this variant is more contagious, that it triggers more severe symptoms, or that the immune response of those vaccinated may not be as adequate. However, it will take several weeks to determine the nature and extent of the changes in this variant of the virus.
The WHO nevertheless warned Monday that it presents “a very high risk” at the global level. No deaths have been directly associated with the Omicron variant so far, this organization pointed out in a document. But “given the mutations that could confer escape potential to the immune response as well as possibly give an advantage in terms of transmissibility, the likelihood of Omicron spreading globally is high.”
The G7 countries are also meeting their health ministers to take stock of the emergency in London.
756 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Quebec on Monday. There are also two additional deaths, and ten more hospitalizations compared to the day before, or 226. Forty-five patients were in intensive care, a decline of three.
More details will follow.
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