The province is introducing further measures in the wake of a new COVID-19 variant.

Premier Jason Kenney, health minister Jason Copping, chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, and the president and CEO of Alberta Health Services (AHS), Dr. Verna Yiu, were all in attendance during Monday's (Nov.29) COVID-19 update and provided information on the Omicron variant.

The Omicron COVID-19 variant, first detected in Southern Africa, was declared a variant of concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) late last week. According to Kenney, the variant is associated with increased mutations and transmissibility, adding the situation is "evolving quickly."
"As the variant spreads to other countries worldwide, more must be done and done quickly to prevent an influx of variant cases," said Kenney.

While there have been no confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in Alberta, the province is rolling out new measures for people returning from international destinations in response.

All COVID-19 cases returning from abroad will undergo a full case investigation as well as contact tracing. PCR testing will be recommended for all close contacts and rapid testing for household contacts.

For cases of the Omicron variant in people who did not return from abroad, all close contacts will be investigated and asked about their symptoms in the 14 days following exposure. Anyone with symptoms will be treated as a probable case.

On Monday, the premier also announced that people could expect to see news of a "significant expansion" in the eligibility for COVID-19 booster doses.

Information provided by OkotoksOnline