Cases of COVID variants on the rise, Tam says

Canada's chief public health officer says the number of cases of variants of concern in the country is rising.

Dr. Theresa Tam said on Twitter there have been 5,154 confirmed COVID-19 cases involving more transmissible variants, with the highest numbers in Alberta, Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec.

#COVID19 key concerns in #Canada: #VariantsOfConcern continue to increase across Canada and worldwide, bringing new challenges for COVID-19 control, but advancements in testing, vaccine programs & public health measures are helping. https://t.co/uFggdyDLjZ

— Dr. Theresa Tam (@CPHO_Canada) March 22, 2021

The majority of those cases involve the B.1.1.7 variant first identified in the United Kingdom, which Tam says is responsible for 638 of the 655 cases of variants confirmed since March 18.

To date, ≥ 5,154 #VariantsOfConcern cases (↑655 since Mar.18), including 4,807 (↑638) B.1.1.7, 243 (↑2) B.1.351 & 104 (↑15) P.1 variants have been reported, with numbers highest in Alberta, Ontario, British Columbia & Quebec, respectively. https://t.co/IHyBa1lpr8

— Dr. Theresa Tam (@CPHO_Canada) March 22, 2021

Even as vaccination programs ramp up, the growing number of variant cases is sparking fears of a third wave.

Quebec reported a rise in new cases and hospitalizations today, prompting Health Minister Christian Dube to urge people to respect health measures to prevent a variant-fuelled COVID-19 surge.

Ontario's solicitor general, meanwhile, said the province plans to expand pharmacy vaccination to virus hot spots amid a recent rise in cases that the chief medical officer of health described last week as the beginning of a third wave.