Though the Public Health Agency of Canada said last week it’s 'too early' to tell if the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 is spreading in Canada beyond scattered cases cropping up— there’s still cause for concern and the public should be prepared by engaging in health measures, infectious disease experts say.
Though the Public Health Agency of Canada said last week it’s “too early” to tell if the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 is spreading in Canada beyond scattered cases cropping up— there’s still cause for concern and the public should be prepared by engaging in health measures, infectious disease experts say.
But now, XBB is the dominant variant in the U.S. and officials with the World Health Organization said at a press conference on Jan. 4 that this version of the COVID-19 virus is the most transmissible detected so far. And though there’s no evidence so far that the variant causes more severe illnesses, it’s clear XBB is easily transmissible and possibly more immune-evasive, said Dr. Lisa Barrett, an assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and in the Faculty of Medicine at Dalhousie University.
“COVID is a bit of a master class for the general population, unfortunately, in how viruses evolve,” she said, adding COVID-19 has been given the chance to mutate due to a high abundance of cases.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Week in Photos: Farewell to Benedict, U.S. politics and China, COVID and the KrakenWeek in Photos: Catholics bid farewell to Benedict, Republicans wrangle in House and the return of COVID tests with the Kraken
Read more »
Week in Photos: Farewell to Benedict, U.S. politics and China, COVID and the KrakenWeek in Photos: Catholics bid farewell to Benedict, Republicans wrangle in House and the return of COVID tests with the Kraken
Read more »
What is the Kraken COVID variant, and what’s with the monster nicknames?The Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, known as the Kraken, is ripping through the U.S. and is now in Canada. Here\u0027s what you need to know
Read more »
Canada gets first glimpse of gig economy in Statistics Canada dataFriday was the first time Statistics Canada released data on gig work, signalling its growing role in the economy. Read more
Read more »
What Canadians need to know about the Omicron ‘Kraken’ subvariant XBB.1.5Masking, social distancing, good ventilation and getting vaccinated will still help curb the spread of this new variant
Read more »
'Kraken' case count slowly rising in B.C. as booster rates remain lowThe new Omicron subvariant, nicknamed 'Kraken', is slowly rising in B.C. as rates for fourth booster doses remain low.
Read more »