A contagious variant of COVID-19 has now made its technique to all 10 provinces in Canada, officers introduced Saturday because the nation’s high physician warned but once more of the hazards of lifting public well being restrictions at this stage of the pandemic.
Prince Edward Island confirmed its first case of the variant that originated in the UK on Saturday in a affected person who was first identified on Feb. 4 and has a historical past of worldwide journey.
“We’ve been bracing for this actuality. This information is just not surprising. And in reality we’re the final province to file a case of the U.Okay. variant,” Premier Dennis King stated.
He famous that this case is considered one of solely two which can be lively within the province.
“It is a nice reminder for us to not take our lucky and distinctive P.E.I. state of affairs with no consideration. As now we have seen in different provinces, issues can change rapidly. To maintain doing the issues now we have been doing is of utmost significance,” King stated, echoing recommendation lengthy supplied by Canada’s chief public well being officer, Dr. Theresa Tam.
She’s been urging the provinces for weeks to maintain sturdy public well being restrictions in place, even because the unfold of COVID-19 has slowed throughout the nation.
She repeated that message in a written assertion Saturday, citing the presence of variants of concern — the one which was first detected within the U.Okay., in addition to others first present in Brazil and South Africa.
“We have to preserve the strictest vigilance in our public well being measures and particular person practices,” Tam stated. “This may assist to stop these variants from reaccelerating the epidemic and making it far more tough to manage.”
Even so, Manitoba headed into its first weekend of relaxed public well being orders after lifting quite a few restrictions on Friday.
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Officers there introduced Saturday that there was a development of “regarding case numbers” within the northern neighborhood of Cross Lake First Nation, prompting a brand new public well being order for residents to remain of their houses or instantly adjoining areas.
An announcement posted Friday on the neighborhood’s web site stated there have been 45 lively instances there, together with 15 involving kids.
Manitoba logged 99 new instances of COVID-19 on Saturday, in addition to one added demise.
Ontario was additionally gearing as much as reopen elements of its financial system following a stay-at-home order that was put in place in January.
Twenty-seven public well being items will re-enter the province’s tiered, colour-coded system of restrictions on Tuesday, with simply Niagara Area getting into the gray “lockdown” classification which permits companies to open at 25 per cent capability.
The remainder of the areas fall elsewhere alongside the size that strikes from crimson — the second strictest stage behind the gray — by inexperienced, with lighter restrictions on companies and gatherings at every stage.
Solely Toronto, Peel and York areas will stay beneath the stay-at-home order within the coming week.
The province counted 1,300 new instances of COVID-19 on Saturday, in addition to 19 extra deaths linked to the virus. It recognized 22 extra instances of the variant first discovered within the U.Okay., for a complete of 297.
Quebec, in the meantime, reported 1,049 new instances of the virus, and its demise toll rose by 33.
Farther east, New Brunswick officers counted 16 new instances of COVID-19, whereas these in Nova Scotia added two.
Newfoundland and Labrador reported 26 extra instances of the virus following a current surge of infections within the St. John’s area. That sudden spike prompted the cancellation of in-person voting within the province’s common election hours earlier than voters wer slated to go to the polls.
Public well being officers additionally introduced tighter testing and self-isolation protocols for rotational employees coming out and in of the province in a bid to convey case numbers again beneath management.
To the west, Saskatchewan reported 244 new instances of COVID-19 and 4 added deaths.
Alberta logged 305 new infections and 15 related deaths up to now 24 hours. And Nunavut reported 5 new instances within the territory’s solely lively COVID-19 outbreak, within the distant neighborhood of Arviat.
There have been 264 instances of the novel coronavirus within the area because it counted its first case in November, and 9 have been lively on Saturday.
© 2021 The Canadian Press
