Variant strain spreading in the region

In addition to the seven confirmed cases of the UK COVID-19 variant previously reported by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU), an additional 99 individuals have had a positive first screening test for a “variant of concern.”
A secondary test, whole genome sequencing, will confirm the exact type of variant. It’s expected that those results will likely be the UK variant, said SMDHU medical officer of health Dr. Charles Gardner.
“One of the issues here is potential for transmission in the community and we are doing all that we can to do aggressive case and contact management and follow up with all the identified cases and their contacts and put them into isolation to slow the spread of this new UK variant in our community,” said Gardner. “But we do have cause for concern.”
Public Health Ontario’s point prevalence study which involves testing all of the positive COVID-19 test results from a specific sampling, in this case being all positive tests from last Wednesday, for any of the variants of concern – UK, South African or Brazilian. (The UK variant, called B.1.1.7 is the most common variant worldwide; a South African variant called 1.351 has been detected in Alberta and British Columbia; and a Brazilian variant called P.1 has not yet been detected in Canada.)
All but two variant positive tests are linked to Robert Place Long Term Care Home in Barrie and Bradford Valley Care Community. An individual working at Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, which is currently in outbreak, is one of the two individuals who have tested positive on the first screening test where no links to the Roberta Place outbreak are identified.
“That’s important. That means essentially we have another outbreak that would be considered an outbreak due to a variant of concern for COVID-19 and we are awaiting testing…” said Gardner.
Another individual has no known links to any of the outbreaks and that case is under investigation.
“This does speak to the potential for this to be spreading now in the community and it’s really, really important that people take that to heart and behave accordingly in order to reduce their risk of being part of transmission of this new variant. If it isn’t spreading readily in our community now, it may very well do so in the near future, ” said Gardner.
“Clearly the new strain is of great concern to us,” he said, adding that it is 50-70 per cent more transmissible.
The health unit is awaiting more data from the point prevalence study to show how prevalent the variants are.
“This will be very dynamic and it will be very hard for us to stop this from transmitting in the community and I think we all need to take precautions very seriously because of how readily it transmits,” said Gardner.
Asking everyone to obey the stay at home order, only going out for essential work, shopping and exercise. He said that means no visiting in the home with friends, grandchildren or anyone, the only exception being if there is a single person who has been exclusively adopted by another household.
“This is really important right now with this new variant which is on the cusp of spreading into our community,” said Gardner.
All long term care residents have been immunized, moving into retirement homes in the most high risk areas by Friday. Supplies are limited until mid-February. When supply resumes the health unit will work through priority groups.
Gardner said the supply disruption comes at a bad time as some people are in between their first and second doses. The first dose alone offers 85 per cent protection against the virus, and the second dose increase that protection to 95 per cent.
For more information, visit www.simcoemuskokahealth.org or call Health Connection to speak with a public health professional weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 705-721-7520 (1-877-721-7520). More information about the vaccine and immunization can also be found at ontario.ca.