Canada’s first known case of new COVID-19 variant detected in B.C.: officials

Provincial health officials say Canada’s first known case of a new COVID-19 variant has been detected in B.C.

According to a joint statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and health minister Adrian Dix, the BA.2.86 variant of the virus was discovered in the Fraser Health region in someone who has not travelled outside the province.

“So far, there does not seem to be increased severity with this strain of COVID, and the individual is not hospitalized,” the statement said.

“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.”

The statement continued, “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 latest wastewater surveillance with whole genome sequencing shows no other detections of this strain of the virus so far; data continues to show XBB 1.5 is still the most common subvariant being reported in B.C. We continue to monitor data and information as the virus evolves worldwide.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website, there were nine cases of the virus reported worldwide as of Aug. 23.

The B.C. health officials say the detection of the latest Omicron mutation is not surprising.

“It was not unexpected for BA.2.86 to show up in Canada and the province. 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 be our best defence against all variants of COVID-19. People who are vaccinated are less likely to get seriously ill from COVID-19 or require hospitalization,” they stated.

The statement goes on to urge everyone to continue following public health advice, including staying home when sick, frequently washing hands, and wearing masks when appropriate.

New COVID-19 variant doesn’t pose an increased health risk

In regard to this COVID-19 variant’s health implications in comparison to others, the Vancouver Infectious Disease Centre’s Dr. Brian Conway tells CityNews that it doesn’t seem to cause more severe illness than previous versions of the virus — which has been the case with other recent variants as well.

“These new variants that emerge likely do so because they replicate more easily and transmit more easily on that would probably be true of this new variant but the last few none of them have caused more severe disease, I suspect this will be true but time will tell,” he said.

“I think we need to understand that COVID will probably not go away in the foreseeable future, there will be new variants. We need to continue to be careful in our daily lives, in terms of continuing to wash our hands and staying home if we’re sick, taking advantage of the new, improved vaccine that will be available shortly … this just becomes part of our new reality.”

Conway adds that British Columbians have done a great job of following regulations surrounding vaccines, and says that has been a major help prolonging their immunity.

With files from Srushti Gangdev