No cases linked to single case of U.K. Covid variant on Vancouver Island

An Air Canada jet at London Heathrow LHR. Photo: Can Pac Swire

Updated: Monday, Dec. 28 at 4:45 p.m.

The B.C. Ministry of Health told CHLY 101.7FM on Monday afternoon that there are no additional cases related to the the one confirmed case of a highly transmissible variant of COVID-19 in British Columbia.

The person with the new variant of the virus lives in the Vancouver Island Health region and returned to British Columbia from the U.K. on Air Canada flight AC855 from London to Vancouver on Dec. 15.

According to the government, the person from the UK “developed symptoms while in quarantine and was immediately tested. Testing confirmed the positive diagnosis on Dec. 19, and a small number of close contacts have been isolated and public health is following up with them daily.”

That same date, there was an exposure on a domestic Air Canada flight 8265 from Vancouver to Nanaimo. It was the only flight to Vancouver Island with an exposure on that date and flight records show it departed YVR at 5:30 p.m. that day while flight AC855 from London landed at YVR at 4:07 p.m.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health said the person who tested positive was following federal quarantine rules and that anyone on a domestic flight with a Covid exposure should “self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days.” The spokesperson would not divulge how the person who tested positive on flight AC855 reached Vancouver Island citing “patient privacy concerns.”

This is the fourth time the new U.K. variant has been found in Canada, with two cases in Ontario reported on Saturday and another on Sunday.

The Ministry of Health statement said there is no evidence that the new COVID-19 variant is more likely to cause severe illness, nor is there evidence to suggest the Health Canada-approved vaccines will be any less effective.

”British Columbians everywhere must continue to be cautious and follow all public health orders and guidelines, stay close to home, avoid non-essential travel, practice safe, physical distancing and wear a mask when in public indoor spaces,” reads the statement.

The BC Centre for Disease Control’s (BC CDC) Public Health Laboratory is reviewing all isolates from people who had recently returned from travel to the U.K. and determined that the genome sequencing was the same as the new U.K. variant. The BC CDC’s ongoing review may identify additional cases in the coming days per the statement.

There were also exposures of COVID-19 on Air Canada flights from London to Vancouver on Dec. 10 and Dec. 19, 2020.