Thunder Bay restrictions needed as COVID-19 cases rise amid omicron variant, Ontario science adviser says

One of the leading scientific voices in Ontario'sCOVID-19 response is calling for increased restrictions in Thunder Bay, where incidentrates continue to climb and at least four cases of the omicron variant have been detected.

The Thunder Bay District Health Unit reported 54 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the active case count to 137.

One day earlier, the health unit announcedfour cases of the omicron variant were detected, with four other cases expected to be confirmed in the coming days.

Dr. Peter Juni, scientific director of Ontario's COVID-19 science advisory table, said a swift reaction locally is needed, and called on the local medical officer of health to take action.

"I would decrease capacity limits in restaurants and all the other places just to 50 per cent," Juni said, mentioning the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit recently imposed its own restrictions.

"I would restrict private gatherings indoors probably to 10 peopleand outdoors also to a certain extent."

The omicron cases are the first of that variant to be found in northwestern Ontario.

The Thunder Bay District Health Unit said the cases have a direct link to southern Africa, where the variant was first detected, and all impacted individuals are in the same household and have been isolating.

Dr. Janet DeMille, medical officer of health for the Thunder Bay district, said initial screening indicated the cases could be the delta variant, but further testing confirmed it was the omicron variant.

"Quick action on the part of these individuals led to very early notification of an individual with COVID-19 where omicron was a possibility due to the travel connection," DeMille said in a written statement.

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The World Health Organization has said researchers are studying omicron, but it is not yet clear if it is more transmissible than previous variants or causes more severe illness. Scientists have expressed concernthe mutations could affect vaccine effectiveness, as well as transmissibility of the virus and even the severity of disease.

The emergence of the variant prompted the federal government to implementrestrictions for travellers coming from several African countries last month.

In a news release announcing the cases, the health unit urged anyone who has travelled to 10 African countries to seek testing.

"We need to push back omicronfrom taking over the province as long as possible," Juni said."This will be quite challenging because it has a tremendous advantage over delta. So it will not take us long, most likely as with delta,untildelta is nearly extinct and omicron has taken over."

Numbers rising in Thunder Bay

The detection of the variant cases comes as overall case numbers in the Thunder Bay area have climbed in the last few weeks.

The 54 cases announced on Monday isthe highest number at one time since March, although the update covers a three-day period with numbers not reported over the weekend. All but one of the new cases is in the Thunder Bay area.

Nineteen of the individuals who tested positive are household contacts of previously announced cases, while 26 are considered other close contacts. Three are linked to travel outside of northwestern Ontario and four had no known exposure to the virus.

There have been 225 cases announced in the Thunder Bay district since Nov. 20, which is more than the combined totals from June, July, August, September and October.

In recent days, cases have been associated with five different schools in Thunder Bay:

• One individual associated with Woodcrest Public School.
• One individual associated with St. Patrick High School.
• One individual associated with St. Ignatius High School.
• One individual associated with Hammarskjold High School.
• Two additional cases at St. Margaret School.