Two people returning from Nigeria have contacted the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus, according to the Canadian government.
This was disclosed by the Province of Ontario, as Canada begins closing its borders to seven African nations, according to Reuters.
The variant which was first detected in Southern Africa last week has become a major concern to governments around the world as they rush to contain the spread.
What the Canadian government is saying
“Today, the province of Ontario has confirmed two cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Ottawa, both of which were reported in individuals with recent travel from Nigeria. Ottawa Public Health is conducting case and contact management and the patients are in isolation,” the statement said.
The WHO has stated that it is still not clear if the Omicron is more transmissible than the other variants.
Meanwhile, one of the first South African doctors to detect the strain, Dr Angelique Coetzee, said she noticed seven patients at her clinic who had symptoms different from the dominant Delta variant, albeit “very mild.”
“The most predominant clinical complaint is severe fatigue for one or two days, along with headaches, body aches and pain,” she added.
