Omicron variant of COVID-19 confirmed in Halton and Durham regions cases
Published on January 28, 2020
“We confirm that the Halton Regional Health Authority’s (HRHA) regional laboratory has identified a novel coronavirus in a resident in Halton Regional on the 14th of January 2020,” said Dr Mike Brown, M.D., Ph.D., medical director, HRHA. “It is not currently known how this sample got to HRHA, however the patient has been isolated from the community, and the patient is being monitored closely by the provincial health authority.”
Halton Regional has also confirmed the arrival, over the weekend, of a COVID-19 test result from a patient who lives in the Durham Region, and is being closely monitored by the Durham Regional Public Health.
“We are working closely with the Public Health of Ontario to trace the origin of this report, and to monitor the person who was tested for COVID-19,” said Dr. Brown. “Due to the volume of cases we have received, we have not yet had access to a patient’s travel history with this virus. However, we have reviewed the patient’s travel history and there are no evidence of travel to any other locations in Canada.”
While there have been no reported cases of community transmission, the first case in Ontario is in Halton Region. This is not the first time the virus has struck a small community.
The first case in Ontario was identified in the town of Port Colborne on the island of Newfoundland on May 8, 2019, with a woman aged 73 from the town who then moved across the Atlantic to the United States, where she was diagnosed with COVID-19.
“We are reminding residents to exercise caution when visiting public parks and beaches, but also to follow local and provincial recommendations about social distancing and sheltering in place,” said Dr. Brown. “Additionally, it is important that visitors to our hospitals wear face coverings when the facility is in an area with a high burden of confirmed COVID-19 cases.”
“We recognize that any outbreak is an important public health issue,” said Dr. Brown. “As we continue to monitor the situation and learn more about the disease, we will adjust social
