Cases may rise in Ottawa due to omicron variant, so stay vigilant: OPH

After the discovery of two cases of the omicron variant in the nation's capital, Ottawa Public Health is advising travellers who visited several African countries recently to self-isolate in order to reduce transmission.

The two cases, confirmed Sunday byPublic Health Ontario, are the first omicron variants discovered in Canada.

• Canada's first cases of the omicron coronavirus variant confirmed in Ottawa
• As an alarming new coronavirus variant emerges, Canada moves to limit travel from southern Africa

Out of an abundance of caution, Ottawa's Medical Officer of Health Dr. Vera Etchessaid Sunday that anyone in the household of someone who had travelled through one of eight countries within 14 days of arriving in Ottawa shouldalso self-isolate and get tested for COVID-19, even if they are fully vaccinated and have no symptoms.

The countries listed by OPH are Nigeria, South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini and Namibia.

"We know that this information may be concerning for some individuals," she wrote in a statement.

She also said there may be a rise in COVID-19 casesin Ottawa linked to the variant, but that following public health measures already in place will help curb itsspread.

"It is important to remember that this is not a new virus."

Border closures don't work, physician says

Travel bans in response to new variants have been criticized by some who it'san ineffective measure to halt the spread of COVID-19. The World Health Organization has urged countries to keep their borders open.Dr.Kwadwo Kyeremanteng,an ICU and palliative care physician at The Ottawa Hospital, agrees.

"By the time you detect new variants, typically they'll be global, they'll be throughout the world. And I think we've seen evidence of that," he told CBC.

He said there's still no information about how contagious or virulent the variant is, but that it's a wake-up call for the importance of ensuring a higher global vaccination rate. Less than 25 per cent of the population in South Africa, where omicron was first identified, is fully vaccinated.

"Until we know more, I don't see a reason to push the panic button."