COVID-19 cases Ontario Canada

 The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Monday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.

 British Columbia health officials are reporting 1,129 new cases of COVID-19 and five deaths over a three-day period.

In a news release Monday, they say 185 of the active cases are in hospital while 72 are in intensive care.

They say an update on cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the province will be provided at a briefing Tuesday.

However, a news release from Island Health and the University of Victoria says they've identified four cases of the Omicron variant from a cluster of 124 COVID-19 cases associated with people who attended off-campus events.

B.C. health officials say about 86.5 per cent of those five and older have received the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 82.3 per cent of them have had their second dose.

Officials say 13 per cent of those who are 12 and older have been given their booster shot.

The surge of COVID-19 cases in Ontario, which accounts for almost 40% of Canada's population of 39 million people, has prompted the provincial government to suspend easing of restrictions that were planned to be lifted ahead of the holiday season. 

The province reported 1,536 cases of COVID-19 on Monday, a more-than 70% jump from a week ago, including 80 cases of the Omicron variant, which has spread across over 60 countries since being first detected last month.

The World Health Organization has said that the Omicron variant poses a "very high" global risk, with some evidence that it evades vaccine protection, but clinical data on its severity is limited. 

At least one patient has died in Britain after contracting Omicron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday. 

Ontario has directed government staff, who started gradually returning to their offices in November, to go back to working from home at least until early-February, CTV news reported Monday.

Provincial capital Toronto, which employs about 25% of the city's workforce, said its staff would continue to work remotely in accordance with new guidance from health officials.

Toronto-based Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS.TO), Canada's third-largest lender, also decided to pause an earlier plan for employees working remotely to return to its head office starting on Jan. 17.

In the Ontarian city of Kingston, to the east of Toronto, authorities imposed restrictions to combat Omicron infections. In a temporary order on Monday, they said no more than five people could congregate, while restaurants must not allow indoor dining after 10 p.m.

"So what we're seeing in Ontario, I expect to be seen in other areas of the country, as has been seen in Europe and other areas of the world," chief public health officer Theresa Tam told a news conference.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government is “very concerned” by the latest projections about the Omicron COVID-19 variant in Canada.

Those projections, made by chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam on Friday, suggest that Canada is on track to experience a COVID-19 resurgence — one that could worsen if the Omicron variant tightens its grip on the country.

“We are, obviously, very concerned with the numbers Dr. Tam shared on Friday,” Trudeau said, speaking to reporters Monday morning.

“But I think Canadians are also very aware that we have done many things to keep ourselves safe and we just need to continue them.”

According to Tam’s latest COVID-19 projections, Canada is currently seeing a Delta variant-driven resurgence of COVID-19 cases. However, if infections keep rising and Omicron takes hold, that variant could outpace Delta and drive infections up to 26,600 a day by mid-January.

“Although this forecast is concerning, we are reminded that models only show future possibilities – and that with fast and appropriate action, we can avoid a worst-case scenario trajectory as we have done in the past,” Tam said, speaking on Friday.

“The speed of Omicron transmission and potential for strong resurgence means we must approach the coming weeks with an abundance of caution and at the same time be prepared to act quickly to control spread at the first sign of rapidly accelerating cases.”