The U.K. COVID-19 variant has shown up in Saskatchewan, having been detected in two people living in the Regina zone.
The information was provided in the province’s daily COVID-19 update. It said one infected individual travelled from the United Kingdom and the second case was the result of close contact with the person who travelled.
Both individuals were tested in the middle of January, then quarantined and are no longer infectious.
The province said the Roy Romanow Provincial Laboratory is testing travellers for variants of concern.
Those tests need to be genome-sequenced at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. That process can take about one or two weeks.
“Public health’s contact investigation indicates that all contacts of these residents have been identified and there is no indication of further transmission,” the province said in a release Tuesday.
“If required, public health will issue a public service announcement to alert the general public to any risk due to any confirmed case of a variant of concern.”
Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab reminds residents there are three variants of the virus currently circulating around the world, including the U.K. COVID-19 variant. The other two have come out of South African and Brazil.
“All are thought to be associated with higher transmissibility, but not more lethal. Obviously, as we move forward, it’s likely we will see many variants,” Shahab said. “At this moment, we don’t have any evidence of transmission (in Saskatchewan).”
The province is urging residents to hold off on travelling, saying it’s the best protection against COVID-19 variants.
“We know this is a more contagious variant which serves to reinforce to each of us why we need to keep doing what we know works to reduce the spread of this virus, regardless of which variant it is,” Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said.
“We need to continue with our physical distance. We need to continue wearing a mask. We need to continue to stay at home when we are not feeling well and to avoid unnecessary travel.”
The province said it is looking at increasing public health measures and making changes to its surge capacity planning, all in consideration of the impacts of the U.K. COVID-19 variant.