Omicron variant now in North America, Canadian officials say

Top Ontario health officials Christine Elliott and Kieran Moore said in a joint statement that two people who had recently been in Nigeria have tested positive for the variant.

The health officials said their strategy is to stop as many omicron cases as possible from entering Canada.

"We continue to urge the federal government to take the necessary steps to mandate point-of-arrival testing for all travellers irrespective of where they’re coming from to further protect against the spread of this new variant," the pair said.

Fauci, who met Sunday with President Joe Biden, said existing vaccines are likely to provide "a degree" of protection against severe cases of Covid-19, the White House said in a readout that paraphrased his remarks.