The Porcupine Health Unit remains the area hardest hit by the pandemic, with 57 infections Thursday accounting for the vast majority of new infections in northern Ontario.
The Porcupine area’s case rate per 100,000 remains among the highest in Ontario, and it’s a trend that’s been going on for several weeks.
Greenstone, in the Thunder Bay Health District, has also seen a significant number of new cases. Of the 21 infections recorded by the public health unit, 19 were recorded in Greenstone, a town of less than 5,000 residents.
Delta variant discovered in Timmins
The Porcupine Health Unit also announced on Friday that a delta type of coronavirus, which was originally local to India, had been detected in a sick person in Timmins.
The health unit indicates that this variant is considered more contagious and can spread to the area.
The Porcupine Health Unit says the person whose variant was discovered has been hospitalized.