Canada confirms 51 cases of new Omicron subvariant

Canada has found 51 cases of a new Omicron subvariant known as BA.2 mainly from international travelers, according to local media CTV on Wednesday. 

BA.2 is a descendant of the highly transmissible Omicron variant and has been found in at least 40 countries as of Wednesday. 

It was first detected in November. CTV quoted the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) as reporting that it is monitoring BA.2, as it does with all new Covid variants. 

"While the impact of all variants continues to be monitored in Canada, the Government of Canada knows that vaccination, in combination with public health and individual measures, is key to reduce the spread of Covid and its variants," PHAC said in a statement to CTV. 

The Omicron variant, B.1.1.529, reportedly has four sub-lineages: BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2 and BA.3.