Ontario Is 'Prepared' To Deal With The Omicron Variant & Here's The Plan
Omicron was first found in the country on November 28.
With the discovery of the Omicron variant in the country, the government of Ontario says it has plans put in place in order to combat the new variant.
During its announcement that third COVID-19 vaccine doses will soon become available for more Ontarians, the provincial government revealed the "infrastructure" it has in place in order to "rapidly identify, trace and isolate COVID-19 and its variants."
“Regardless of what we learn about the Omicron variant, Ontario is prepared to quickly respond to any scenario to protect the health and safety of Ontarians,” Minister of Health, Christine Elliott, said.
“Vaccines continue to be our best protection against COVID-19, and I encourage everyone to book their first, second or booster dose as soon as you are eligible.”
On top of these booster doses, Ontario is expanding free PCR testing at all testing centres for asymptomatic people who came back from or travelled in Nigeria, Malawi and Egypt since November 1, including their families and household contacts.
The federal government recently included these countries on an updated list of travel restrictions amid concerns of the new variant.
As of December 2, Ontario says it will supply a limited amount of single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines, which will be available to those who have an allergy to mRNA vaccines like Pfizer or Moderna, and are over the age of 18. It will also be available to non-vaccinated individuals who request it through their public health unit.
The provincial government says depending on approval, molnupiravir (a five-day oral treatment for COVID-19) could be provided to high-risk unvaccinated patients who have mild-to-moderate symptoms of COVID-19.
The provincial government is also putting out a "holiday testing blitz" this month as well as sending public school students, and students at participating First Nation schools home with rapid antigen screening tests to use over the holidays, too.
Ontario will also put out an updated guide on case, contact and outbreak management to Ontarians who might have been exposed to the Omicron variant, which includes more frequent follow-up calls to guarantee those affected are isolated. Provincial government officials said they will also invest $5.1 billion to put up 3,100 beds to increase hospital capacities across the province, in order to "ensure that hospital and intensive care capacity continues to remain stable."
The Omicron variant was first discovered in the country on November 28, when two confirmed cases were found in Ottawa following a recent trip to Nigeria.
Premier Ford, however, said in a news conference on December 1 that while the new variant is a "cause for concern" Ontarians should not panic.