Two new subvariants of Omicron have been detected in Canada, the same two responsible for the rise in COVID-19 cases in South Africa. .A Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) spokesperson confirmed it has detected three BA.4 cases and one BA.5 in Canada, as reported by CTV News. .“The Government of Canada has a strong monitoring program in place with the provinces and territories to identify COVID-19 variants in Canada, including the Omicron variant of concern and its sub-lineages,” they said in an email to CTV..“Scientists are looking for signs that Omicron sub-lineages, such as BA.4 and BA.5, change disease severity, transmissibility or impacts the effectiveness of diagnostic tests, vaccines or treatments for COVID-19.”.According to government data, Omicron variant BA.2 remains the most common cause of infection in the country and has since early March. .“As with all new sub-lineages of COVID-19, scientists from the Public Health Agency of Canada, along with national and international experts, are actively monitoring and evaluating the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-lineages and the associated studies,” said the PHAC spokesperson. .Omicron has been considered a variant of concern (VOC) due to its increased transmissibility but has generally been found to be less virulent. .Studies suggest the new Omicron subvariants show potential to be even more transmissible than other Omicron variants and may evade the protection of three-dose vaccines leading to a higher chance of reinfection, but those studies have yet to be fully peer reviewed. .Due to these new subvariants, South Africa is experiencing a new wave of infections, with an average of 6,601 new cases reported each day. That equates to 28% of the peak infections reported mid-December. .The country has seen 3,844,625 infections throughout the pandemic with 100,533 COVID-19-related deaths reported — a 2.6% mortality rate. .The country is about 30% vaccinated. .In a media briefing, the WHO said BA.4 and BA.5 are driving a surge in cases in South Africa, but said it's too soon to determine if the subvariants cause more severe illness.
