According to Public Health Ontario , those include if the person recently travelled outside Canada or have been in contact with someone who did. (CBC)But in the case of the Durham couple, Public Health Ontario says their swabs just happened to be processed at a private-sector lab using a test that can also serve as a screen for the B117 strain. Further genetic sequencing at a Public Health Ontario laboratory confirmed it was the new strain, which scientists consider to be much more contagious but not more virulent. 1:56CBC News canvassed other provincial public health authorities about their efforts to detect the new strain. The Durham health department wouldn't say whether co-workers of the couple have been alerted.

Source: CBC News January 12, 2021 09:00 UTC