Public Health Sudbury and Districts is urging everyone get vaccinated against COVID-19 as the highly infectious Omicron variant rapidly becomes the dominant form of the coronavirus.
While PHSD hasn't detected Omicron - cases have been reported in a Thunder Bay household with ties to South Africa while two suspected cases have been reported in Blind River, though they're still awaiting lab testing - the health unit notes the region's already in the midst of a large surge of cases due to the Delta variant, with the "startling spread" in the province meaning "we have to do all we can to prevent severe disease and protect the health care system capacity".
It emphasizes that includes getting fully vaccinated - including a booster dose, if eligible - but also follow all public health measures, including the tighter restrictions it has implemented amid the case surge, limiting the sizes of social gatherings and requiring proof of vaccination, masking, and physical distancing in more situations.