Public Health on Wednesday revealed five cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Quebec for travelers.
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The government said the five cases were all confirmed sequentially.
In addition, seven other cases are currently under investigation for whether people with the virus have contracted the Omicron variant.
The province of La Belle was relatively unaffected by the variant initially discovered in South Africa. Across the country, about 60 cases of Omicron have been identified, including more than 30 in Ontario alone.
Pharmacist Diane Lamarie warns, however, that the virus can spread rapidly in Quebec, as we have seen in Europe.
The expert believes that sanitary measures should be implemented at airports to reduce the risk of transmission.
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that this new species appears to have a higher rate of reinfection, but causes less severe symptoms. It was based on studies from South Africa.
Pfizer’s lab also confirmed that its vaccine, developed with BioNTech, was still effective after three doses against the Omicron variant.
However, Pfizer, like Moderna, believes a more suitable vaccine for the variant may be needed.
The Omicron variant was first discovered on November 24 in South Africa.
The emergence and spread of this variant in Africa, however, has led Canada to restrict travel with dozens of countries, including South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria.
