Probable COVID-19 variant of concern linked to Kitchener school

The Waterloo Region District School Board says a probable COVID-19 variant of concern has been linked with a school in Kitchener.

It says the case involves a student at W.T. Townshend Public School.

An outbreak has not been declared at the school as there has only been one positive test connected to the case.

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“Public Health has been clear that this is not an unexpected occurrence as variants are known to be spreading across Ontario,” the board said.

“We have dismissed the cohort and no further cohorts need to be dismissed at this time,” Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the region’s medical officer of health, said last Friday.

Wang said the case is one of 13 unconfirmed cases in the area with another being confirmed for the U.K. variant.

She says seven of those cases are linked to travel.

There are three variants of concern the province is keeping an eye on including ones first identified in the U.K., South Africa and Brazil.

“Early evidence suggests that variants of concern may spread more easily than previous variants of COVID-19 and that there may be the potential for more severe illness,” Wang said last week.