Two northeastern Ontario health units — Porcupine and Timiskaming — said Wednesday that the COVID-19 variant Omicron has been detected in recent positive cases.
While Omicron was suspected to be driving cases in the north, the health units are the first in the northeast to confirm it is present in the region.
“The Porcupine Health Unit was notified by the Public Health Ontario Laboratory that several positive cases in the Porcupine Health Unit Region have screened positive for the B.1.1.529 Omicron COVID-19 variant,” Dr. Lianne Catton, medical officer of health, said in a news release.
“All individuals remain in isolation and are being closely monitored by public health.”
The health unit said more cases are expected, placing further demands on the health system that “is already feeling the burden.” The Omicron variant is four to eight times more transmissible than the Delta variant.
“The dominant strain of COVID-19 in the province is now the Omicron variant,” the release said.
“Cases are increasing across the province quicker than ever during the pandemic. We are on track to have more cases provincially than ever before.”
The Timiskaming Health Unit said so far, four people in the service area have tested positive for the Omicron variant.
“It is not surprising that Omicron has been identified in our district,” Dr. Glenn Corneil, CEO and acting medical officer of health, said in a news release.
“While the positive cases identified today are located in the north part of our district, we are quite certain that Omicron cases are currently spread throughout our region.”
Provincially, the Porcupine Health Unit said hospitalizations have increased by nine per cent in the past week. Hospitalizations and ICU admissions are expected to increase further.
“With the number of COVID-19 cases increasing in communities across the PHU region, now is the time to act,” the release said.
“The best way to prevent the transmission of any new variant of COVID-19 is to follow the public health measures that have proven to be effective.”
Those measures include limiting contacts, washing your hands, wearing a three-ply mask and getting your vaccine booster.
Appointments can be booked online at phu.fyi/covid-vaccine or by calling the health unit at 1-800-461-1818.
“The Porcupine Health Unit is working diligently with community partners across the region to increase COVID-19 vaccine clinic appointments,” the release said.
“As appointments become available, they will be posted on the Porcupine Health Unit website and social media. With the increase demand for vaccine and the increased number of cases, the PHU team is experiencing a surge in calls. Please review our website for information and we will attempt to return calls as quickly as possible.”
