Canadian health officials and ministers are expected to provide an update on Tuesday regarding Canada's response to COVID-19 as the recently identified Omicron variant of concern continues to surface in more countries, with at least four cases having been reported in Ontario and one in Quebec.

Last week, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced that Canada was enacting five COVID-19 travel measures involving seven countries in southern Africa, including Zimbabwe and South Africa, that would see foreign nationals who travelled through these countries barred from entering Canada due to a new variant that had surfaced in the region.

The B.1.1.529 variant, also known as the "Omicron" variant, was first detected in South Africa, but new data shows the emerging threat slipped into countries before their defences were even in place. The Netherlands, for example, found Omicron in samples dating from Nov. 19 and 23, days prior to the Nov. 24 date when South Africa first reported the variant to the U.N. health agency.

It is unclear where or when the variant first emerged, and the announcement by the Netherlands muddies the timeline further.

Tuesday's update comes as much remains unknown about the new variant, including how contagious it might be, whether it causes severe disease and how effective current vaccines in use are against the virus.

For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/8414055/canada-travel-ban-boosters-omicron-covid-variant/

Subscribe to Global News Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/20fcXDc
Like Global News on Facebook HERE: http://bit.ly/255GMJQ
Follow Global News on Twitter HERE: http://bit.ly/1Toz8mt
Follow Global News on Instagram HERE: https://bit.ly/2QZaZIB
#Canada #COVID19 #Omicron #GlobalNews