Omicron likely involved in cluster of at least 30 COVID-19 cases in London (Ontario): MLHU

[Shiloh]

Source: https://globalnews.ca/news/8428621/omicron-london-covid-cluster-mlhu/


Omicron likely involved in cluster of at least 30 COVID-19 cases in London: MLHU
By Jacquelyn LeBel 980 CFPL
Posted December 6, 2021 1:54 pm
Updated December 6, 2021 4:25 pm

The Middlesex-London Health Unit is still awaiting final data but says the likelihood of an Omicron cluster associated with at least 30 COVID-19 cases is “very high.”

The cluster of cases is linked to travellers who arrived in London, Ont., from Nigeria in late November.

Acting medical officer of health Dr. Alex Summers said many of the individuals associated with the cluster were fully vaccinated, including the travellers, who had also followed Public Health Agency of Canada guidelines around testing.

The health unit announced Monday that it received word Sunday night that two of the 30 cases screened positive for S gene target failure, which is a marker for the Omicron variant.

The cluster is linked to several schools and child-care centres. The health unit was still in the process of notifying those communities on Monday and, as a result, was not yet publicly identifying them...

 

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[Shiloh]

Source: https://lfpress.com/news/local-news...-closed-over-confirmed-probable-omicron-cases

Three London schools closed over confirmed, probable Omicron cases
Three Catholic elementary schools with a combined enrolment of 1,300 students are temporarily closing because of multiple confirmed or likely Omicron variant COVID-19 cases, the London District Catholic school board announced late Monday night.
Free Press staff
Publishing date:
Dec 07, 2021 • 41 minutes ago

Three Catholic elementary schools with a combined enrolment of 1,300 students are temporarily closing because of multiple confirmed or likely Omicron variant COVID-19 cases, the London District Catholic school board announced late Monday.

St. Marguerite in northwest London, St. Nicholas in west London and St. Mary Choir and Orchestra school in downtown London will be closed for the rest of the week and students will learn remotely.

“Since the cases affect staff in multiple different classrooms throughout the schools as part of their regular duties, this decision was made out of an abundance of caution to help ensure the health, safety and well-being of all students and staff at the schools,” the board said in a release.

The schools are expected to reopen Dec. 13.

The announcement was made hours after the Middlesex-London Health Unit announced a cluster of 30 COVID-19 cases in London likely linked to the Omicron variant. The new variant, reported late last month in South Africa, has multiple mutations from other known versions of the virus and is believed to be more transmissible...