The first two cases of a new coronavirus variant that recently emerged in the United Kingdom have been confirmed in Canada.
Both the individuals, who are a couple, don't have known travel history, high-risk contacts, CBC News reported. They are currently in self-isolation. The confirmed cases identified are from Durham Region.
The announcement of the new variant was made on Saturday by the associate chief medical officer of Ontario, Dr Barbara Yaffe.
"This further reinforces the need for Ontarians to stay home as much as possible and continue to follow all public health advice, including the provincewide shutdown measures beginning today," Ontario's associate chief medical officer said in a news release.
"Durham Region Health Department has conducted case and contact investigation and Ontario is working in collaboration with our federal counterparts at the Public Health Agency of Canada," the release said.
Amid the continuing pandemic, the new strain of coronavirus first found in the UK has caused a stir as it is reported to be more transmissible than other SARS-CoV-2 variants.
The variant has now been detected in multiple countries beyond Britain, including Denmark, Belgium, Australia and the Netherlands.
( With inputs from ANI )
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