Unlike previous variants, the Omicron wave appears to have hit Newfoundland and Labrador before other parts of the country.

The province experienced a spike in cases soon after mandates were lifted in mid-March.

Public Health officials have been watching the situation closely, using hospitalizations and deaths due to the virus as an indicator of the spread of the highly contagious BA.1 and BA.2 lineages of the variant.

At its peak, Newfoundland and Labrador reported active confirmed COVID cases in the thousands.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald indicated with limited PCR testing that the real numbers were considerably higher than that.

While deaths due to the Omicron variant are still being reported, those incidents often lag initial numbers by a couple of weeks.

Health Minister John Haggie acknowledges that this province experienced the worst of Omicron before other jurisdictions.