B1617 variant behind COVID outbreak in central Newfoundland, Fitzgerald confirms

Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting four new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, two of which are connected to the cluster in central Newfoundland, raising the cluster's total to 46. Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said there are also two presumptive cases, and one probable case, connected to the cluster. There are now six people in hospital due to COVID-19. Four of them are in central Newfoundland. Fitzgerald said the investigation into the source of the outbreak is ongoing, but the coronavirus variant B1617 — first identified in India — has been confirmed as causing the wave of infection