'It is a concern': 12 cases of XBB.1.5 COVID-19 variant found in B.C.
The number of lab-confirmed cases of the new "Kraken" COVID-19 variant has more than doubled over the last week in British Columbia, according to the provincial health officer.
In a one-on-one interview with CTV News, Dr. Bonnie Henry said there were 12 “isolations” of the XBB.1.5 Omicron sub-variant identified through lab testing as of Wednesday, compared to just five last week.
“It is a concern. This virus changes, that's what we know,” she said. “I expect we'll see some more but it's still a very small percentage, so we're not seeing that rapid takeoff that we've seen in some places in the U.S., for example.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimated 1.3 per cent of all COVID-19 cases in that country were XBB.1.5 in early December, but by the end of the month that had mushroomed to 40 per cent.
While widespread lab-testing collapsed a year ago during Omicron’s original surge in B.C., Henry said public health officials are tracking prevalence of overall COVID-19 infections and variants through wastewater testing, hospitalizations and what little community testing is still available – largely among seniors and those at high risk.
The academics and independent researchers in the BC COVID-19 modelling group have estimated lab-confirmed cases underrepresent real-world spread by about 100 times.
'KRAKEN' VARIANT MORE CONTAGIOUS AND VACCINE-RESISTANT
While the latest Omicron sub-variant has been nicknamed “Kraken” by a handful of researchers, experts are largely avoiding the moniker, which they have criticized as being wildly sensationalist.
On Wednesday, however, the World Health Organization was unequivocal that the XBB.1.5 sub-variant is the most contagious strain of COVID-19 ever seen. And while there’s no clear evidence it makes people sicker, it’s ability to infect more people is already leading to increased hospitalizations in the United States.
There are also signs it’s more immune-evasive, meaning vaccination and previous infections are less effective at preventing spread.
VACCINES EMPHASIZED BUT NO NEW STRATEGY
Henry and the WHO alike emphasized the importance of up-to-date vaccinations, especially bivalent boosters, as providing the best defence against serious illness, even though they’re not as effective against the new sub-variant.
“At the end of the day it's still Omicron and what we're seeing across the board is that vaccination still gives you good, strong protection against severe illness,” Henry said.
When CTV News asked if she planned to change her approach to encouraging vaccination to catch the attention of the many British Columbians who haven’t been boosted, Henry reiterated that “if you have not had a bivalent booster then by all means, now is the time to do it.”
After some hiccups initially, the annual influenza immunization campaign and the fall booster rollout have settled and it’s much easier to get a vaccination for either or both; community clinics and pharmacies are still offering them across B.C.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.