More cases of 'Kraken' variant detected in B.C., but province has good protection, officials say
B.C.'s top doctor says the province has confirmed more cases of the so-called "Kraken" variant of the virus that causes COVID-19, but it is not currently the strain responsible for most infections in B.C.
There have been 24 cases of the XBB.1.5 subvariant of the Omicron strain of SARS-CoV-2 confirmed through whole-genome sequencing in B.C. so far, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said at a news conference in Vancouver Friday.
She estimated that the subvariant currently accounts for five to six per cent of cases the province is sequencing. The vast majority of cases – about 95 per cent – are still the BQ.1.1 subvariant, Henry said.
While she stressed that the 24 confirmed XBB.1.5 infections are just the ones that have been sequenced, not the total number that have likely been contracted in the province, Henry also sought to minimize people's concerns about the new subvariant.
"All of these are subvariants of Omicron, and I think that's really, really important," the provincial health officer said.
"While this XBB.1.5 has garnered a lot of attention, it still remains a subvariant of Omicron."
That means British Columbians are well equipped to deal with it, according to Henry.
She said B.C.'s population has high levels of protection from all Omicron strains because of vaccination and previous infection, and added that there's no evidence that XBB.1.5 is causing more severe illness than previous subvariants.
"We must remember that these new strains may make us more vulnerable to infection, but they don't render us defenceless," Henry said. "We are no longer in the place where we needed to take extraordinary measures because everybody was susceptible and many, many people could get seriously ill, need hospital care or die."
She added that precautions like staying home when sick, using proper "respiratory etiquette" (covering coughs and sneezes, properly disposing of tissues, regular hand-washing), and wearing a mask in crowded spaces or places with poor ventilation will help limit the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.
"It is important to continue to take measures to protect ourselves and others from respiratory viruses and other infections," Henry said, adding that getting vaccinated – particularly with the Omicron-targeting bivalent vaccines – is the most important protective measure to take.
Friday's update from Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix comes one week after Dix announced that B.C. would be reopening emergency operations centres at 20 hospitals to deal with surging demand.
The emergency operations centres were initially put in place to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, but COVID-19 has been less of a concern this winter than other respiratory illnesses.
As of Thursday, there were 302 people in hospital with the coronavirus, on the low end of the range the province has been seeing over the last six months, despite concerns about the spread of the so-called "Kraken" variant.
Hospitals overall remain above their standard capacity. As of Friday, there were 10,106 people hospitalized for all causes across the province. Including 2,500 surge beds, B.C. has 11,680 hospital beds available, overall.
This means hospitals were operating at roughly 87 per cent of their maximum capacity, including surge beds, or 110 per cent of their baseline capacity, as of Friday.
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.