Health officials confirm Alberta's first case of COVID-19 variant from UK

Dec 28 2020, 11:23 pm

Alberta health officials have confirmed that the first case of the COVID-19 variant from the UK has been detected in the province.

On December 28, during a live update, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said that a single case was identified over the past several days.

“In recent days, BC and Ontario were first to report cases linked to recent travel to the UK that have this variant virus,” she explained.

“In Alberta, we have now also identified a single case of COVID-19 caused by this variant in someone who had recently arrived from the UK.”

Hinshaw says that the “good news” is that the “individual did everything they were supposed to do,” including following quarantine and public health orders.

She added that “at this point, there is no evidence that there has been any further spread.”

“It is important to remember that the public health measures in place are protective against this variant and the best thing we can do to protect each other is to follow them.”

So far, one case of the COVID-19 UK variant has been detected in British Columbia, along with three in Ontario.

On December 20, Canada halted all flights entering the country from the UK over fears of the new strain.

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