First Canadian case of new COVID-19 variant confirmed in B.C.

globalnews.ca:

COVID-19 has been detected for the first time in Canada, British Columbia health officials said on Tuesday.The variant, dubbed BA.2.86, was confirmed in the Fraser Health region, and involves a person who had not travelled outside the province, according to a joint statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix.“So far, there does not seem to be increased severity with this strain of COVID and the individual is not hospitalized,” the statement reads.The new variant was first detected in Denmark in July, and has since been confirmed in several countries including the United States.The World Health Organization has classified BA.2.86 as a “variant under monitoring” due to the presence of a large number of mutations.The agency described variants under monitoring as those that show early signs of a “growth advantage” compared to more dominant circulating variants, and which require further evidence of their possible impact.“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,” the statement from B.C. health officials added.“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.”The province said the detection of the variant reflects its COVID-19 surveillance efforts, including continued testing and new wastewater surveillance.It added that wastewater surveillance had yet to detect any other cases of the variant in B.C. so far, with the EG.5 and XBB 1.16