Canadian health officials reported two cases of the COVID-19 omicron variant on Sunday, confirming for the first time that the variant has spread to North America. .

“As the monitoring continues, it is expected that other cases of this variant will be found in Canada and other countries,” the Public Health Agency of Canada said in a statement. .

Anthony FauciAnthony FauciSunday shows preview: New COVID-19 variant emerges; supply chain issues and inflation persist NY governor declares state of emergency to prepare for omicron US to restrict travel from eight African nations over new COVID-19 concerns MORE, the top infectious disease expert in the U.S., said the omicron variant will inevitably arrive in the United States. .

Canada on Friday restricted travel from Southern Africa, where the first cases of the variant were reported, imposing stricter re-entry protocols for Canadians and barring foreign nationals who have visited the region in the previous 14 days.