The Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants are spreading rapidly around the world, and the province is confirming they’ve both been detected in Manitoba.
Provincial data suggests COVID-19 transmission is trending downward, but University of Saskatchewan epidemiologist Dr. Nazeem Muhajarine said that will likely change before September.
The province says both strains have surfaced in Winnipeg wastewater, with BA.5 making up about 10 per cent of sequenced samples.
“The province is targeting to sample at least 10 per cent or at least — 100 samples per week,” a spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
These highly evolved variants of concern are about six to eight times more contagious than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, Muhajarine told Global News on Wednesday.
“It has a whole bunch of tricks up its sleeve to disguise and to evade immunity, either that is created or acquired by vaccines or by having the infection, having COVID-19,” Muhajarine said.
He cautioned that being vaccinated likely wouldn’t stop people from getting infected, but it’s still proving to prevent serious outcomes.
Those who were infected with Omicron BA.1, the strain that was circulating around Christmastime, likely won’t be protected against these newer strains, Muhajarine said.
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“People are getting re-infected time and time again, and those reinfections seem to be occurring quite close in time to each other.”
Overall, BA.4 and BA.5 cause milder symptoms, but because they’re so transmissible, more people could end up in hospital, he said.
In general, he encouraged masking up in crowded spaces and indoors, especially for older people and those with underlying health conditions.
“We need to be talking and thinking and preparing and doing things that, you know, that will keep ourselves safe from ending up in the hospital, you know, ICU or dying from COVID 19 sooner rather than later this summer.”
He said he hopes provinces decide to not only expand booster eligibility to the general public but also to resume more widespread testing.
Provincial officials are keeping an eye on the situation but aren’t making changes to public health advice right now, the provincial spokesperson said.
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