Whistler P1 outbreak turns British Columbia into the largest COVID-19 Variant Hotspot outside of Brazil

The posh Canadian ski village of Whistler has closed after 877 confirmed cases of British Columbia’s COVID-19 variant P1 turned British Columbia’s largest variant hotspot outside of Brazil, where P1 was first identified. Canada, collapsing under a deadly third wave of the pandemic, has imposed tougher restrictions as it struggles to launch a nationwide vaccination campaign. It is unclear exactly how the variant arrived at the ski resort, where the first 84 positively tested people had not reported a trip outside of Canada. Since it was first identified in British Columbia, the P1 outbreak has spread to neighboring counties and is suspected to have infected 21 of Canucks professional hockey team players from Vancouver.