One dead in COVID 19 outbreak linked to variant at North Bay, Ont., apartment building

NORTH BAY, Ont. _ Public health authorities say a person has died after being infected with a COVID-19 variant in an outbreak at a North Bay, Ont., apartment building.

The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit declared the outbreak at the building last week and has since reported 31 COVID-19 cases linked to it.

The health unit says 20 of those cases have been identified as a variant of COVID-19.

One of the cases has been identified as the variant first detected in South Africa while further testing is underway to determine the strain involved in the others.

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The region’s top doctor, Dr. Jim Chirico, says public health authorities are working to curb the spread of variants to prevent future deaths.

COVID-19 variants are believed to be more contagious and experts have raised concerns about their spread in the province.

2:38 COVID-19 outbreak in North Bay, Ontario linked to new variant