Pauingassi First Nation says testing has show that the B.1.1.7 UK coronavirus variant is not present in the community, although the virus circulating shares a genetic marker.

Canada sealed a deal last week with the company to purchase 52 million doses of the vaccine, with the option to purchase another 24 million.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the British government was looking at the option of quarantine hotels -- where inbound travellers pay to be isolated at a hotel on arrival.

The Durham Region couple who became Ontario's first confirmed cases of a new COVID-19 variant are now under 'active investigation.'

The not-yet peer reviewed study led by Pfizer indicated the vaccine was effective in neutralizing virus with the so-called N501Y mutation of the spike protein.

Johnson announced the tough new stay-at-home order for England that takes effect at midnight Tuesday and won't be reviewed until at least mid-February.

'I want to take this opportunity to remind Ontarians to travel only if absolutely necessary and if you do travel, you must maintain your quarantine for 14 days.'

No details were provided by authorities about the person infected by the new variant in California.

"Today we discovered Colorado’s first case of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7, the same variant discovered in the UK," Polis said on Twitter. 

Quebec is reporting its first case of a variant of COVID-19 that was first detected in the United Kingdom earlier this month. Public health authorities are following the situation.