New sub-variants of COVID-19 are in Manitoba, with scientists monitoring trends, warning that a mutated version of the Omicron variant, called BA.5, is highly transmissible.
Sandy Wilson thought she was immune to COVID-19 and was surprised to find out she was infected.
“I’ve been exposed to it a few times and I was really surprised to get it,” she said, adding that she’s also heard of many other people who also have it now.
Although it is difficult to say how many cases there are, provincial surveillance estimates that one in 10 cases is BA.5.
“BA.5 is evident in Manitoba and comprises about 10 percent of sequenced isolates. The province aims to sample at least 10 percent, or at least ~100 samples per week,” a provincial spokesperson told CTV News.
According to Manitoba’s latest weekly report on COVID-19, virus activity is decreasing. Federal wastewater data are similar.
However, other countries, including the US, are dealing with new versions of the Omicron variant, which is emerging as the dominant strain.
“I know it sounds like we say this all the time, but that’s the nature of viruses,” said epidemiologist Cynthia Carr, founder of EPI Research. “They develop and become better at what they want to do. These are highly transmissible viruses.”
Carr said BA.5 appears to spread more efficiently. Like the Delta variant, this new variant sticks to cells and antibodies may not recognize it as easily.
She said cases across Canada are starting to increase, the opposite of previous summers when the province saw a downward slide
“It’s not a pattern we’re happy to see, and we could have an experience like in other countries,” Carr said, adding that it was unclear how large an increase in cases there might be.
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