The COVID-19 subvariant, dubbed XBB.1.16 by the World Health Organization, was first detected in the Indian subcontinent in late January. It has since been detected in 29 countries, though experts say it is likely circulating undetected in many others. So far, XBB.1.16 does not appear to have been detected in Canada.
“We don’t know yet how this variant is going to pan out,” said Dr. Don Vinh, a professor in the departments of medicine, medical microbiology and human genetics at McGill University, in a phone interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday.
“There have certainly been variants that have emerged and then fizzled out, like the Gamma variant in South America, and there are clearly more often variants that have emerged and caused problems, like Omicron. I think what we have to do is be vigilant.”
The WHO hasn’t yet classified XBB.1.16 – informally nicknamed ‘Arcturus’ – a variant of concern or interest, referring to it instead as a “variant under observation.”
Here is what we know about the Omicron subvariant so far.
WHAT IS THE ‘ARCTURUS’ COVID VARIANT?
According to the World Health Organization’s April 13 epidemiological update, detections of the subvariant had been reported 2,222 times in 29 countries as of April 11.
XBB.1.16 is the recombinant – or a product of the mixing together – of the BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 subvariants. It is similar in profile to another variant, XBB.1.5, except that it has one additional spike protein mutation, which lab studies have shown could increase infectivity and disease severity.
However, the WHO said it has no evidence the subvariant has actually caused more severe illness than previous variants. XBB.1.16 does appear to have a high growth rate, and it has driven a surge in cases and hospitalizations in India. So far, the WHO reports XBB.1.16 does not seem to have driven a rise in ICU admissions or deaths even in countries where it has driven up case counts.
“Most of the sequences are from India, and in India XBB.1.16 has replaced the other variants that are in circulation. So, this is one to watch. It has been in circulation for a few months,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead for COVID-19 response at the WHO, during a virtual media briefing on March 29.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
Although XBB.1.16’s genetic makeup suggests it could lead to more severe COVID-19 symptoms, the data scientists have on the variant so far suggests it hasn’t done so. People sick with SARS-CoV-2 and its variants – and subvariants – can experience a wide range of mild-to-severe symptoms.
These can include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, a new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
“It’s likely that it’s going to be more of the same in the sense that we might see a rise in cases and we might see a corresponding rise in hospitalizations associated with it,” said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, clinical investigator at Toronto General Hospital Research Institute and associate professor at the University of Toronto, in a phone interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday.
“It’s extremely unlikely that it’s going to cause the same degree of pressure on our health-care system as we once saw earlier on in the pandemic.”
IS THIS SOMETHING CANADIANS SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT?
Neither Vinh nor Bogoch is aware of evidence that XBB.1.16 is circulating in Canada, however, both said that doesn’t mean it isn’t here or won’t be detected here eventually.
And although it hasn’t been shown to lead to severe symptoms in most people, Bogoch said even a variant that leads to mild illness can seriously impact provincial health-care systems, as Canada saw during the Omicron – or BA.1 – wave in late 2021 and early 2022.
“That initial wave was extremely challenging. It put considerable pressure on our health-care system because so many people were sick in such a short period of time,” Bogoch told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Wednesday.
“And even though hospitalizations weren’t all that common, there were so many people who were infected that a small percentage requiring hospitalization out of a large number of people who were infected ended up being a lot of people in hospital.”
Additionally, while many people infected with the subvariant might experience mild-to-moderate illness, seniors and people with immunocompromising conditions would face significant risk in the event of another variant-driven COVID-19 surge. Canada has reported 52,121 COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic began, many of which were in vulnerable, high-risk populations.
And Vinh pointed out that even mild COVID-19 cases in otherwise healthy people can have lasting consequences.
“There are people who get infected, recover from it, but then develop the long-term complications of long COVID,” he said. “People think long COVID is that you can’t smell or your brain is foggy. But we also have…things like an increased risk of heart attacks or an increased risk of strokes in the months subsequent to that infection, even if they are mild in the acute phase.”
In short, Canadians shouldn’t dismiss XBB.1.16 as a non-threat.
Fortunately, Bogoch said it’s highly likely the existing bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters provide some protection against XBB.1.16, just as they have with other Omicron subvariants. Other tried and tested precautions shown to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection should also help protect against XBB.1.16, should it begin circulating widely in Canada.
“No one wants to be infected with COVID or any other infection, so in the absence of large public health initiatives, people can take their own initiative to reduce the risk of infection,” he said. “So that means putting on a mask in indoor settings, being up to date on vaccinations, which lowers the risk of more severe manifestations of the virus, things like that.”
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
