OTTAWA -- Public health officials are investigating two more possible cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant in Ottawa, a day after the first two cases were confirmed.
Ontario medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore said public health officials are awaiting full genomic sequencing results from four people to determine whether they contracted the new variant of the virus.
Two of those people are in Ottawa. The other two are in the Hamilton area.
Moore made the comments Monday morning in a briefing about the first two Omicron variant cases discovered in Ottawa over the weekend. They are Canada’s first two confirmed cases of the new variant.
The two cases were in people who returned from Nigeria. They flew through Montreal, he said, which is where their initial tests were conducted.
“I want to reassure Ontarians that we are prepared and ready to respond to this or any other new variant” Moore said, adding that he has “great confidence” in Ottawa Public Health’s case and contact management capacity.
Ontario is now conducting genomic sequencing on all positive COVID-19 tests to screen for the variant, he said.
“I would not be surprised if we find more in Ontario, because we have a very robust surveillance system,” he said.
But he added that although the news of the variant feels concerning, he urged people to remain calm and follow the science, including the public health measures in place. Anyone who is not vaccinated should get the vaccine as soon as possible, he said.
He also suggested there could be an announcement by the end of this week about accelerating third-dose booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Two more possible Omicron variant cases in Ottawa under investigation - CTV News Ottawa
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