Ontario’s Ministry of Health has confirmed two cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, in two individuals with recent travel from Nigeria.
The two travellers have been isolated, according to a statement by Ontario ministry of health.
This should send alarm signals to Nigerian health authorities that the Omicron COVID-19 variant is already in the country.
“Today, the province of Ontario has confirmed two cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Ottawa, both of which were reported in individuals with recent travel from Nigeria”, the ministry said.
Ottawa Public Health is conducting case and contact management and the patients are in isolation,” read the statement, published by globalnews.ca.
“In addition to the measures recently announced, we continue to urge the federal government to take the necessary steps to mandate point-of-arrival testing for all travellers irrespective of where they’re coming from to further protect against the spread of this new variant.”
Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos also confirmed Canada’s first two cases in a statement Sunday evening, and said that he was working with the province’s public health officials to contact trace the cases.
“As the monitoring and testing continues with provinces and territories, it is expected that other cases of this variant will be found in Canada,” read Duclos’ statement.
The World Health Organisation labelled the Omicron COVID-19 variant, a variant of concern.
It was first reported by South African scientists, with over 100 cases already detected.
Because of the WHO classification of the new variant, the EU, US, UK, Canada, Australia, UAE slammed travel ban on southern African countries, to contain its spread.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) had named it ‘Omicron’ and classified it as a variant of concern.
The global health organisation advised countries to enhance surveillance and sequencing efforts, as well as ensure strict adherence to the COVID protocol to limit the spread of infections.
On Sunday, Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), advised world leaders not to label or penalise African nations for new COVID-19 variants and mutations happening across the world.
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