As of Nov. 26, 2021, there have been five SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoC) that have surfaced and undergone transmission across the globe.
The most recently-discovered variant of coronavirus, Omicron, carries at least 50 mutations, making it a variant of concern — the most serious category assigned by the World Health Organization for coronavirus tracking.
Omicron has 30 mutations on the spike protein, and 26 unique mutations. In comparison to 10 unique mutations found in the Delta variant.
As of Nov. 29, 2021, no data is available to show the extent Omicron can evade immunity from the infected or the vaccinated.
On Nov. 28, 2021, WHO said that while researchers are trying to understand the transmissibility and severity of Omicron on individuals, “vaccines remain critical to reducing severe disease and death.”
So far, Omicron has been found in multiple countries, including Canada, Japan, France, Scotland, Portugal, and the U.S.
COVID-19 variant of concern timeline (Jasna Baric / CTV News)
Graphic by Jasna Baric
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American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
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A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
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Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) President Samantha Becotte says two days of "difficult" negotiations has led to a "final offer" with slight improvements to salary and the inclusion of a line in the collective agreement – promising to address classroom complexity issues.
Nova Scotia's opposition parties are calling for the justice minister to resign after he said domestic violence is not an "epidemic."
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Closing arguments were heard Thursday morning in the case of Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter in 2021 to keep her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
An Assyrian church bishop who was stabbed during a service at his church said on Thursday he was recovering quickly, and that he had forgiven his attacker as police ramped up investigation into the riots triggered after the bishop's stabbing.
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
A Nigerian chess champion and child education advocate is attempting to play chess nonstop for 58 hours in New York City's Times Square to break the global record for the longest chess marathon.
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
French police cordoned off the Iranian consulate in Paris on Friday, where a man was threatening to blow himself up, Europe 1 radio and BFM TV.
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Canadian banks that refuse to identify the carbon rebate by name when doing direct deposits are forcing the government to change the law to make them do it, says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
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As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
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An ancient giant snake in India might have been longer than a school bus and weighed a tonne, researchers reported Thursday.
Facebook parent Meta Platforms unveiled a new set of artificial intelligence systems Thursday that are powering what CEO Mark Zuckerberg calls 'the most intelligent AI assistant that you can freely use.'
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
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Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Halifax actor and activist Elliot Page has been recognized by Time, an American news magazine, as one of the most influential people of 2024.
Google has fired 28 employees in the aftermath of protests over technology that the internet company is supplying the Israeli government amid the Gaza war, further escalating tensions surrounding a hot-button deal.
As Canada's biggest bookstore-turned-gift-giver's-paradise edges toward privatization, it's evident from a stroll around one of its Toronto stores that the retailer knows some things haven't been working.
Booming sales of cold drinks at Starbucks have created a problem: growing amounts of plastic waste from the single-use cups that Frappuccinos, Refreshers, cold brews and other iced drinks are served in.
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.
Ten beagles rescued from animal testing in the United States arrived in Alberta on Wednesday, thanks to a Canadian charity.
Nelly Korda, who is looking to tie an LPGA Tour record with her fifth straight win, shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday in the opening round of the Chevron Championship, leaving her two shots behind leader Lauren Coughlin in the year's first major.
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
The NHL Board of Governors voted unanimously Thursday to clear the way for the Coyotes' move to Utah next season.
Tesla will ask shareholders to reinstate a US$55 billion compensation package for CEO Elon Musk that was rejected by a judge in Delaware this year and to move the electric car maker's corporate home from Delaware to Texas.
Tesla has hit a series of roadblocks, including increased competition and declining sales. The company announced Monday it is slashing 10 per cent of its global workforce.
A driver from London will have to find alternative transportation after an OPP officer clocked them travelling nearly 200 km/h on Highway 401 over the weekend.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
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Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
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Ontario Provincial Police are reminding people that it is illegal to fly a drone over traffic collision sites, after drone footage captured over a fatal crash on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa appeared online.
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CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at things to do in Ottawa this weekend.
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More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
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More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
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According to police, there was “significant damage” to the hydro pole, causing a power outage to the surrounding areas.
A Lucan man is facing a number of charges after police said they recovered a stolen truck.
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Person airlifted to Toronto after a rollover on Highway 400 Friday morning.
CAA's Worst Roads campaign ensures municipalities know which roads its residents feel need rapid improvement.
One person suffered life-threatening injuries after a collision with a commercial vehicle on Highway 12 at Forest Avenue in Orillia early Thursday afternoon.
Windsor police are asking the public to keep an eye out for a man last seen in the downtown area.
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A large collection of First Nations art worth more than $60,000 was stolen in Saanich earlier this month, police announced Thursday.
Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.
A banana ball python that was stolen from a Kelowna pet store on Saturday has been returned unharmed, Mounties said.
Nurses held a rally Wednesday at a hospital in the B.C. Interior that closed its emergency department more than a dozen times last year due to insufficient staff.
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Three men who helped lead and co-ordinate the 2022 border blockade at Coutts, Alta., have been found guilty of public mischief.
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An Alberta woman was killed in a multi-vehicle crash on a highway north of Coaldale, Alta., on Wednesday morning.
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A 65-year-old northern Ontario woman says her winning lottery scratch ticket is the best present she has ever received.
A northern Ont. city councillor says she fears many women will go without the proper health care after town loses access to mobile cancer screening.
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.
A Celebrity Apex cruise to the Caribbean this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada's easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
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