Omicron variant confirmed in Hamilton as total daily COVID-19 case count tops 1,000

One more case of the Omicron variant has been confirmed in Ontario. 

The City of Hamilton issued a release today saying one local resident who returned from travelling to South Africa recently tested positive for the COVID-19 variant of concern.

The city says a second potential case is under investigation, with sequencing results expected in the coming days.

It also notes that Hamilton Public Health Services is conducting case and contact management and the two individuals and their case contacts continue to self-isolate.

Word of the latest Omicron cases emerged as Ontario reported more than 1,000 new COVID-19 infections for the second day in a row.

The province logged 1,053 new cases today and added eight deaths to the overall tally. 

Health Minister Christine Elliott says 494 of the new cases are among people who are not fully vaccinated, while 60 involve individuals with an unknown immunization status.

There are 284 people hospitalized with COVID-19, including 160 people who are in intensive care units.

Of those in ICUs, 136 people are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown immunization status. 

Provincial data shows 84.4 per cent of Ontarians aged five and older have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 80.5 per cent are fully vaccinated.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4, 2021. 

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship. 

The Canadian Press