Canada’s first case of the highly mutated BA.2.86 variant of Omicron was detected in British Columbia (BC).
In a joint statement, Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, said individual is from the Fraser Health region who has not travelled outside the province.
It is the first known case in Canada of this variant.
“So far, there does not seem to be increased severity with this strain of COVID and the individual is not hospitalized,” the statement read.
“We will continue to monitor the data on this new variant under monitoring, which has been detected around the world, including in the United States. BA.2.86 was first detected in Denmark in July 2023.”
BC health officials say that “tt was not unexpected for BA.2.86 to show up in Canada and the province” and that “the risk to people in B.C. has not changed”.
COVID-19 continues to spread globally, and the virus continues to adapt. Reducing transmission and having high levels of protection through vaccination continue to the best defence against all variants of COVID-19.
“This detection of the Omicron subvariant BA.2.86 reflects the ongoing data monitoring and surveillance in B.C., including continued testing of people with COVID-19 symptoms and innovative new wastewater surveillance,” the statement added. “The latest wastewater surveillance with whole genome sequencing shows no other detections of this strain of the virus so far; data continues to show EG.5 and XBB 1.16 are still the most common subvariants being reported in B.C. We continue to monitor data and information as the virus evolves worldwide.”
“We urge all people in B.C. to continue to follow public-health advice and to stay home when sick, wear masks when appropriate, follow respiratory etiquette, wash hands frequently, and, most importantly, stay up to date on your vaccinations,” the statement said in conclusion.
