The BC Centre for Disease Control has identified British Columbia’s first case of a person infected with the BA.2.86 variant in the Fraser Health region. .“It is the first known case in Canada of this variant,” said BC Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix in a Tuesday statement. .“So far, there does not seem to be increased severity with this strain of COVID and the individual is not hospitalized.”.Henry and Dix said they will continue to monitor the data on BA.2.86, which has been detected around the world. It was first detected in Denmark in July. .They acknowledged it “was not unexpected for BA.2.86 to show up in Canada and the province.” The risk to people in BC has not changed. .COVID-19 continues to spread globally, and it is adapting. Reducing transmission and having high levels of protection through vaccination continues to be the best defence against all variants. .Henry and Dix concluded by saying this detection of the new variant reflects the ongoing data monitoring and surveillance in BC, 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 variant so far, and it continues to indicate XBB 1.5 is the most common variant being reported in BC. .“We urge all people in BC to continue to follow public health advice and to stay home when sick, wear masks when appropriate, follow respiratory etiquette, wash hands frequently, and, most importantly, stay up to date on your vaccinations,” they said. .BA.2.86 appeared in multiple countries on August 17. .READ MORE: Several countries report cases of highly mutated COVID-19 variant.Scientists are determining if this will spike infections or disappear in the upcoming months. No cases had been found in Canada..The World Health Organization declared BA.2.86 as a variant it has been watching.
The BC Centre for Disease Control has identified British Columbia’s first case of a person infected with the BA.2.86 variant in the Fraser Health region. .“It is the first known case in Canada of this variant,” said BC Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix in a Tuesday statement. .“So far, there does not seem to be increased severity with this strain of COVID and the individual is not hospitalized.”.Henry and Dix said they will continue to monitor the data on BA.2.86, which has been detected around the world. It was first detected in Denmark in July. .They acknowledged it “was not unexpected for BA.2.86 to show up in Canada and the province.” The risk to people in BC has not changed. .COVID-19 continues to spread globally, and it is adapting. Reducing transmission and having high levels of protection through vaccination continues to be the best defence against all variants. .Henry and Dix concluded by saying this detection of the new variant reflects the ongoing data monitoring and surveillance in BC, 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 variant so far, and it continues to indicate XBB 1.5 is the most common variant being reported in BC. .“We urge all people in BC to continue to follow public health advice and to stay home when sick, wear masks when appropriate, follow respiratory etiquette, wash hands frequently, and, most importantly, stay up to date on your vaccinations,” they said. .BA.2.86 appeared in multiple countries on August 17. .READ MORE: Several countries report cases of highly mutated COVID-19 variant.Scientists are determining if this will spike infections or disappear in the upcoming months. No cases had been found in Canada..The World Health Organization declared BA.2.86 as a variant it has been watching.
