Sask. officials 'keeping a close eye' on Omicron variant: health minister
Saskatchewan’s health minister said officials in the province are keeping a close watch on developments around the new Omicron variant.
“I met with Dr. Shahab specifically on this this morning to get his point of view,” Health Minister Paul Merriman said. “He’s keeping a very close eye to make sure, when we do get some information we’ll be able to get that out to the general public.”
Merriman said the best defense against COVID-19, and its variants, is to get fully vaccinated.
So far, the Omicron variant has not been detected in Saskatchewan. However, officials have confirmed cases in both Ontario and Quebec.
According to Merriman, Saskatchewan labs are equipped to test for the variant
“If they do get a positive test, then it goes to the next level of testing to make sure that it’s identified as that specific variant,” Merriman said.
Dr. Alexander Wong, an infectious diseases specialist, says the variant has likely been circulating for weeks, but it is too early to tell how it will impact Saskatchewan.
“I don’t necessarily think this is a reason for panic at this point,” Wong said.
“It was inevitable that we were going to see new variants.”
The World Health Organization declared Omicron a variant of concern last week. Now, Wong says the biggest question is how the new variant will compare to the Delta variant. According to Wong, it could take two to four weeks to better understand Omicron.
“The main thing that makes it unique and a bit worrisome is the fact that it has a lot of different mutations,” said Wong, adding health experts are working to understand the transmissibility and severity of the variant.
Wong says officials will also be monitoring how well vaccines work against the new variant. According to Wong, there may be “decreased effectiveness.” However, he says vaccines will maintain “some degree of protection.”
While we likely cannot stop the spread of the Omicron variant, Wong says we can slow it down through travel restrictions, quarantining and PCR testing, as well as everyday measures like masking and social distancing.
“All of these are critical in managing any variant,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.