While the XBB.1.5 COVID subvariant has been deemed the most transmissible by the World Health Organization, the top doctor at the Middlesex London Health Unit says a lot of information is still emerging as health officials don’t know if the strain could lead to more severe outcomes for patients.
“But the same steps that have worked so well to protect ourselves and our family continue to be the same steps we need to rely on regardless of what variant comes down the line.”
XBB.1.5 is a sub-lineage of the Omicron subvariant XBB and 21 cases have been detected in Canada as of Wednesday, including at least 12 in British Columbia.
According to Summers, this new variant emerged globally around October, with cases detected in 29 countries to date. Specifically, he said that the strain has accelerated into the dominant variant in the United States, now responsible for approximately 70 per cent of new COVID-19 cases in the country’s Northeastern region.
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“What we are seeing in XBB.1.5 is increased infectiousness that appears to be able to bond more tightly to human cells, which means it’s a little bit more infectious or, or at least infectious as we don’t yet know how much,” Summers said. “There also appears to be the possibility of this strain of the virus to evade some of the antibodies we may have developed from previous infection or from vaccination.
“Those two components are one of the reasons why we think we’re seeing an increased prevalence of this strain in parts of the world where this is being tracked closely like the United States and one of the reasons why I think it’s fair to anticipate that it’s going to have more of an impact in our region,” he continued.
As of Friday morning, the MLHU has not reported any cases of XBB.1.5 locally. However, Summers said that he “anticipates that that will be quickly forthcoming over the next week or two here in our region.”
“The predominant strain we’re seeing is one called DQ 1.1, and that was the case through December, but I do anticipate it will be shifting,” he explained. “Given what we’re seeing in British Columbia and in the northeastern United States, I fully anticipate that XBB.1.5 is circulating in Ontario at this point.”
Summers stressed the importance of practicing public health measures, such as keeping up to date with vaccinations, wearing masks and physical distancing, in order to reduce the risk of respiratory illnesses.
“XBB.1.5 is not the first variant we’ve seen that’s more infectious and frankly, it’s not going to be the last,” he said.
For more information about COVID-19, visit the MLHU website.
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