Omicron variant of COVID-19 confirmed in Halton and Durham regions cases; one death from Halton
The Halton region has confirmed a case of the novel coronavirus, dubbed “COVID-19”, in a patient who recently returned from overseas, health officials in the region announced after a three-hour briefing on the virus Wednesday.
Halton Region Public Health and the health authority confirmed the case in a statement issued on Tuesday afternoon, confirming the individual had recently returned from Wuhan, China, where the novel coronavirus has been spreading for more than two months.
The statement said that “a sample of the COVID-19 infection is being sent to a laboratory in the United States for testing,” and noted that the patient has completed self-isolation and has recovered.
Halton residents and visitors who were in contact with the patient during his recent stay in the region are being advised to self-isolate and monitor for fever and cough while he recovers.
However, the warning does not apply to everyone and only those who believe they have been in contact with the individual are being advised to self-isolate.
“If anyone was in contact with the individual during the period of infection and has symptoms of COVID-19 then they should isolate themselves for 14 days and call your doctor for guidance,” the statement said. “This includes those who have close contact with the individual while he is still contagious, and anyone who has had close contact with the individual or has been to his home since his arrival in Canada.”
The person involved in the Halton cluster was not on a cruise ship or any other international flight where disembarking passengers may have been exposed to the virus.
Health officials warned residents in a press conference Wednesday that the coronavirus is “not a new virus.”
Health Canada has also confirmed that an infected person in the same outbreak in the Greater Toronto Area has travelled to other countries.
The patient also had contact with several individuals who were confirmed positive for COVID-19 in Canada.
The Halton case joins the growing number of cases in Canada where people who had visited China have contracted the coronavirus.
Haiti confirmed its first case of the novel coronavirus