A COVID-19 variant has been detected by health authorities at a Barrie long-term care home which is currently experiencing the virus outbreak. Testing continues to determine the exact variant strain. Preliminary laboratory testing has identified a COVID-19 variant in six swabs at Roberta Place, a long-term care home in Barrie, Ontario, according to the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU). “The variant strain testing is a two part test, and at this time, the first test which looks for a particular 501 mutation is positive and indicates a very high probability that they are of a variant strain of concern,” SMDHU said in a news release on Wednesday. “The second part of the test is a whole genome sequencing test to determine the exact COVID-19 strain.” “The results are expected in the next three to four days,” the health unit said. The SMDHU issued the emergency order under the Health …