More COVID-19 variants suspected in Sudbury cases, health unit reports

Sudbury's health unit is confirming today that the person suspected of carrying a more highly transmissible strain of COVID-19 has tested positive for theCOVID-19variant first discovered in the UK.

And they say three more possible cases arein our area, noting that two are individuals who had returned from international travel who were completing quarantine. The other is in an individual who is a contact of a known case. Further testing of these cases isunderway.

Health unit lead, Dr. Penny Sutcliff, saysshe believes the variant cases are contained, for now.But she does foresee more cases.

"I do firmly believe that it is a question of time, not if but when, in terms of these variants, these highly transmissible variants being in our area. We don't have some protective wrap around ourselves to prevent that variant from coming here," she said.

"The virus spreads in the same way as regular COVID-19, but it is much more infectious. This can result in more cases, which means that more people could become seriously ill, while others may lose their lives."

The health unit says its taking extra measures, including "extending the isolation duration for the case, more readily identifying close contacts, and ensuring isolation of all household contacts of confirmed or probable cases as quickly as possible."

They addearly evidence shows that vaccines are anticipated to be effective against this new variant.

"The key message to slow the spread as long as possible is that we must ramp up our prevention measures and truly limit or even avoid our contact with people outside of our own household," Sutcliff stated in a news release Friday.

Sutcliffe says experts have recently said that,while the number of cases of the known version of the virus are declining, there could be another outbreak associated with the variants in the future.

The Porcupine Health Unit confirmed yesterday that COVID-19 test result in the catchment area has screened positive as a possible variant of concern, and further testing is underway. The individual involved is linked to the outbreak at Extendicare Kapuskasing and is currently in self-isolation.

TheNorth Bay Health Unit is also waiting for test results after identifying a case of aCOVID-19 variant in its catchment area.

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