(File Photo/paNOW Staff)

By Jaryn Vecchio

Omicron now dominant strain of COVID in P.A. and North Battleford: study

Jan 12, 2022 | 5:00 PM

The Omicron variant is now the dominant strain of COVID in Prince Albert and North Battleford.

That’s according to the University of Saskatchewan which has been studying wastewater in the two communities to determine how prevalent the virus is.

As of Jan. 4, over 84 per cent of the COVID levels found in samples taken from P.A. were found to be the Omicron variant, while, as of Jan. 3, the variant accounted for around 70 per cent of the levels recorded in North Battleford’s wastewater.

Samples taken before Christmas in P.A. found some levels of Omicron, however, they were just high enough for the U of S to detect.

These are the first samples from North Battleford where the variant was found. This doesn’t mean Omicron wasn’t in the community in the end of 2021 as the last tests taken for the year in the community happened on Dec. 19.

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The other city included in the wastewater study is Saskatoon. As of Jan. 2, over 95 per cent of levels in the community were Omicron.

As of Jan. 12, there have been 1,514 cases of the newest variant across Saskatchewan.

In the North Central region, which includes P.A., there have been 34 confirmed cases, while there have been 46 cases in the North West region, which includes North Battleford.

Overall, COVID levels in both communities are up, coinciding with the record highs the entire province is currently experiencing.

The U of S suggests the daily case numbers may continue to rise because of this.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow