Public Health confirms COVID-19 U.K. variant in Peel Region

 

Ontario Public Health is reporting three new confirmed cases of the U.K. variant of the COVID-19 virus, which brings the provincial total to six.

All three of the new cases have recently travelled or come into close contact with someone who has recently travelled.

All three cases are in the GTA, including an individual from Peel Region who came into close contact with someone who had recently travelled to Dubai.

According to Barbara Yaffe, Ontario's Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health, the sample of the person who travelled to Dubai is currently being tested for the U.K. variant by the Public Health Ontario laboratory.

The other two cases are in residents of Toronto and York Region, both of whom had recently travelled to the U.K.

"Case and contact management is being performed by the relevant public health units," Yaffe said in a press conference.

Yaffe also noted the importance for Ontarians to refrain from travelling unless absolutely necessary, as well as the importance of those returning home from travel abroad to follow quarantine restrictions.

"I cannot emphasize how important this is. COVID-19 does not know borders," she added.