Canada is seeing an increase in several rapidly spreading variants of COVID-19 that are fueling new outbreaks in the United States and Europe, Canada’s leading doctors said on Friday.
Strains BA.4 and BA.5 of the virus, which are sub-variants of Omicron, have been found in Canada since May, and sub-variant BA.2.12 shows growth in the country since March.
On Friday, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr of the virus.
“COVID-19 has shown us over the last few years that there may be more surprises ahead,” Tam said at the briefing.
“The virus is still circulating in Canada and internationally, and factors such as viral evolution and declining immunity are expected to affect COVID-19 activity.
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Sub-options BA.4 and BA.5 are expected to account for about 8.3% and 13.3% of coronavirus variants in the United States as of June 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said earlier this week. USA. .
The two widespread sub-lines were added to the World Health Organization’s watch list in March and were also identified as options for concern in Europe.
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The European Union’s Disease Prevention Agency said on Monday that new sub-options are spreading faster than other options, which could lead to more hospitalizations and deaths as they dominate the continent.
In Portugal, there is also an increase in new infections with COVID-19, most of which are caused by the BA.5 variant. Both strains BA.4 and BA.5 caused the fifth wave of COVID in South Africa last month.
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According to the latest Canadian data published online, the percentage of COVID-19 cases of variants identified as BA.4 and BA.5 increased to 7.6% as of May 22, compared with 2.1% of cases during the week of May 15.
BA.2.12.1, which was also found to be highly transmitted and, like the other two sub-variants, may avoid previous immunity, represents 27.8% of COVID-19 variants in Canada as of 22 May.
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However, in Canada as a whole, the number of COVID-19 cases is declining, making healthcare professionals feel “cautiously optimistic” about the summer months, Tam said on Friday.
The indicators of the daily number of cases, laboratory tests and signals for wastewater are stabilizing at the national level, as most regions of the country continue to see a decline in the activity of COVID-19.
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“There are only a few days left after the first day of summer, stable improvements in epidemiological indicators are welcome and positive news, and I supported the continuation of easing and suspension of measures,” Tam said.
But some parts of the country, including parts of Atlantic Canada and Saskatchewan, have noticed some early warnings of increased COVID-19 activity in recent weeks, she added.
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That’s why federal health officials are keeping a close eye on emerging options in Canada and the rise in the United States and Europe.
And this is the reason why they do not rule out the possibility of a possible jump in the cases of COVID-19 in this country in the summer.
“What you have seen in the United States and Europe, for example, and in Portugal, may be reviving here in Canada in the coming weeks,” Deputy Chief Health Officer Dr Howard Nju said at a briefing in France on Friday. .
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He stressed the importance of keeping up with COVID-19 vaccines, although these new strains have shown the ability to evade immunity. Even if vaccines do not prevent infection, they have been shown to reduce the incidence of serious illness, hospitalization or death from the virus, Nju said.
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“So it’s always important to keep up with your boosters, especially if there’s a resumption of cases this summer.”
– with files from Reuters
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