The tentacles of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 have reached Alberta and BC.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw said an Albertan returning home from Nigeria, via the Netherlands, has tested positive for Omicron.
Hinshaw said they tested positive a week ago and the person, who traveled alone, is now self-quarantining.
She said medical officials are trying to “delay” the spread of the variant until more research is done.
But Hinshaw refused to say where the traveller lives over fear it would identify them.
Hinshaw also urged people not to take out their frustrations against the family of the infected person nor the countries that are under an Omicron watch.
And she said people shouldn’t “think of this as a reset to Ground Zero.”
In her daily update, Hinshaw said in the last 24 hours, health officials have found 238 new cases of coronavirus. There are 434 people in the hospital with 81 in ICU. Another six people are reported to have succumbed to the virus.
In BC, Dr. Bonnie Henry said another traveller coming home from Nigeria had tested positive for Omicron.
That person lives in the Fraser Health region and is isolating.
On Monday, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced 156 Albertans self-quarantining after returning from travel in a country that had been hit with Omicron.
Six confirmed cases of the variant of concern have now been confirmed in Canada so far.
Earlier in the day, Canada added Nigeria, Malawi and Egypt to its Omicron travel ban.
On Friday, the government put restrictions on travellers from South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini.
“Obviously we’re watching very, very closely the situation with Omicron,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on his way into the cabinet meeting.
“There may be more we need to do and we’ll be looking at it very carefully.”
More to come…
Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard
Dave Naylor is News Editor & Calgary Bureau Chief of the Western Standard based in the Calgary Headquarters. He served as City Editor of the Calgary Sun & covered Alberta news for nearly 40 years.
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