Brazilian COVID-19 variant, believed to be more transmissible, found in Toronto

Toronto Public Health officials say a case of the Brazilian COVID-19 variant, which is believed to be more transmissible than other strains of the novel coronavirus, has been found in the city.

In a news release Sunday, officials said the case involves a Toronto resident who is hospitalized and recently travelled from Brazil.

It marks the first known case of the strain in Ontario.

Officials also confirmed a case of the South African variant in Toronto involving a person who has no links to travel.

It marks the second known case of the South African variant in Ontario, with the first being a man in Mississauga. Other cases of that strain have been confirmed elsewhere in Canada.

Brazilian, South African and U.K. COVID-19 strains have been identified as “variants of concern.”

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“The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevent (CDC) has indicated that research is ongoing to determine more about these variants to better understand how easily they might be transmitted and the effectiveness of currently authorized vaccines against them,” Toronto officials said.

As of Saturday, there have been 27 confirmed cases of “variants of concern” in Toronto.

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