Ontario has its first case of the South African COVID variant.

“This was detected in a resident in Peel Region, this case is under investigation, and has no history of travel, and no known contact with a person who has travelled,” said Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams. “The public health unit in Peel is continuing to investigate and are performing appropriate case and contact management accordingly.”

Meantime, there are 69 confirmed cases of the U-K variant in Ontario including two new confirmed cases at Belmont Meats in Toronto where a COVID ourtbreak has temporarily shut down the facility.

But public health officials are sounding upbeat.

“Overall, there is some reason for optimism, we’re seeing the impacts of this lockdown and the effects of the stay-at-home orders,” said Associate Medical Officer of Health Dr. Barbara Yaffe. She says the numbers are going down from the peak in January with outbreaks down and hospitalizations stabilizing.