Canada ‘acting quickly’ on new Omicron COVID-19 variant

Government to ban visitors from southern Africa over threat from new ‘Omicron’ virus mutation

Canada is closing its borders to visitors from southern Africa after the discovery of a concerning new COVID-19 variant was detected in the region.

The new variant, dubbed Omicron, first emerged in South Africa and coincided with a steep rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in that region in recent weeks, according to the World Health Organization.

“We are therefore acting quickly in order to protect the health and safety of Canadians,” said Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos at a news conference Friday.

So far there have been no cases detected in Canada.

The ban will apply to foreign nationals who transited through a list of seven countries in the last 14 days, including South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Namibia and eSwatini.

Those already in Canada who recently travelled through the region will need to quarantine, and be tested for COVID-19.

Global Affairs is also issuing an advisory to discourage non-essential travel to South Africa and neighbouring countries.

Canadian citizens and permanent residents arriving home from the region must get a COVID-19 test before they return, and will need to quarantine at a designated hotel until their entry test proves negative.

After that they will be able to isolate at home until they test negative 10 days after arrival. “We know very little about this variant right now,” Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, said at a briefing Friday.

The mutations that have been detected show the potential for greater transmissibility, she said, and could reduce natural immunity and even the immunity offered by vaccines.

“We are concerned about this new variant and closely monitoring the evolving situation,” she said.

Tam said she would not be surprised to see cases start to crop up in Canada, and Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra said the government will take additional border measures if necessary.

“This variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning,” the WHO wrote in a statement Friday.

“Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other (variants of concern),” the WHO also wrote.

Researchers are already working to learn more about the effects of this new variant, according to WHO’s COVID-19 technical lead Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove.

“Researchers are getting together to understand where these mutations are, and what that potentially may mean for our diagnostics or therapeutics in our vaccines,” she said at a briefing Thursday.

Vaccine manufacturers are already studying the effect of their products on the new variant.

“Moderna is already studying two multivalent booster candidates in the clinic that were designed to anticipate mutations such as those that have emerged in the Omicron variant,” the drug company said in a statement Friday.

‘‘ We know very little about this variant right now. THERESA TAM PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER