B.C. has detected 10 more cases of the U.K. and South African COVID-19 variant in recent days, bringing the province’s total infections to 28.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry released data Friday (Feb. 5), extending a provincewide ban on social gatherings.
“It is very concerning for us,” Henry stated. “These variants have led to increased transmission in some areas of the world. We see that in the U.K. and places like Portugal and Ireland.”
Between the variants, there were 19 cases of U.K. strain detected and 9 of the South African – the majority being the U.K. variant.
Henry explained that half of the new cases were transmitted domestically, without those infected having traveled recently.
READ MORE: COVID-19 variant predicted to cause ‘unmanageable’ case spike in B.C: report
According to a Friday update chief public health officer Dr. Teresa Tam provided the public, in Canada, there are at least 272 variant coronavirus cases.
Canadian epidemiologists figure the variants are 60 per cent more transmissible than the COVID-19 strain which first circulated.
RELATED: B.C. extends COVID-19 gathering restrictions as infections slow down
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