COVID-19 feared to be driving a record surge in new cases in India has now been found in Canada.On Wednesday, British Columbia confirmed 39 cases of the B.1.617 variant – first detected in India – while Quebec reported it first known case of the new variant in the province.In response to growing concerns, the Canadian government announced a 30-day ban on passenger flights from India and Pakistan Thursday. ‘Practically impossible’ to keep COVID-19 variants out, officials say, as flights from hotspots continue While not officially designated as a variant of concern (VOC) by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), B.1.617 is being treated as a “variant of interest”.