Two COVID-19 outbreaks linked to Ontario hockey tournaments were being investigated as likely Omicron variant clusters as the province reported more than 1,600 new infections on Saturday.
Public health for the Region of Waterloo said it’s “very likely” that the 31 cases associated with two tournaments held elsewhere in the province are the result of the Omicron variant.
Hockey players and their contacts were being advised to isolate and get tested, as the region’s top doctor warned that all residents should reduce their social contact in light of the “heightened risk.”
“It is highly likely that the new Omicron variant is already here in Waterloo Region, and we expect that it will spread quickly,” Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang said in a written statement.
Public health for the region said 11 COVID-19 cases were linked to a hockey tournament that was held in London, Ont., and another 20 cases were associated with a separate tournament in Markham, Ont.
Teams from Waterloo Region attended both tournaments, but the health unit did not specify when the events took place.
Whole genomic sequencing results were still pending, but the health unit said the likelihood that both clusters are Omicron-related is “very high.” That’s because cases in both clusters have screened positive for a marker related to the variant, the health unit said, as well as the high number of cases already associated with the outbreaks.
Scientists are still probing Omicron’s unique characteristics, but it is believed to be highly transmissible. The World Health Organization has named it a variant of concern.
Ontario’s top doctor said on Friday that Omicron is expected to become the dominant virus strain within weeks. It was first detected in the province in late November and 48 cases had been officially confirmed as of Saturday, though others were being investigated.
London, Ont., health officials said this week that one case in a large cluster of 40 infections was confirmed as an Omicron case, noting the cluster affected schools, child-care centres and churches . The region later recommended that people limit social gatherings to 10 vaccinated people indoors.
COVID-19’s infection curve continued its steady climb in Ontario on Saturday as 1,607 new cases were reported, along with five more virus-related deaths.
In response to rising cases and the Omicron threat, the province announced this week that it would pause plans to further lift public health rules in January, and would start offering booster vaccine doses to all adults early in the new year.
Dr. Kieran Moore, the province’s chief medical officer of health, has advised that people limit social gatherings over the holidays and work from home if possible. But the province hasn’t brought in any major new public health measures to curb the spread of the disease.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 11, 2021.
The Canadian Press
