A third individual with the COVID-19 UK variant how now been detected, this time in Ottawa with recent travel recent travel from the UK.
Dr. Barabara Yaffe, Ontario’s associate chief medical officer of health, confirmed the news Sunday afternoon.
The news comes after the announcement of two cases that were previous reported in Ontario, in a couple that are in the Durham region, on December 26.
“This further reinforces the need for Ontarians to stay home as much as possible and continue to follow all public health advice, including the province-wide shutdown measures," said Dr. Yaffe. "This is also an important reminder about the need for arriving international travelers to maintain quarantine for 14 days."
Since the initial reported of the first two cases, additional investigation and follow-up case and contact management has revealed that the couple had indeed been in contact with a recent traveler from the UK, which is new information that was not provided in earlier interviews.
The cases and contacts have been informed and are now in self-isolation as per public health protocols.
With the confirmation of three cases stemming from inbound international travel, the province says it continues to call on the federal government to urgently partner with Ontario to implement testing at Toronto Pearson International Airport and strengthen oversight of quarantine.
The Ministry of Health continues to be in contact with the Public Health Agency of Canada and other jurisdictions to monitor the developing situation and ensure coordinated, effective and shared efforts to protect and safeguard the public.
