The potential for a rise in infections and reinfections from the new COVID-19 variant XBB.1.5 appears to be in the “rearview mirror,” according to one expert.
University of Toronto epidemiologist Prabhat Jha told Global News that he is “cautiously optimistic” as the variant nicknamed “Kraken” doesn’t appear to be leading to a big increase in hospitalizations.
“If (XBB.1.5) causes reinfections in people or new infections in the uninfected, then we could have a problem,” he said. “But if that were going to happen, it should have happened by now.
“I’m cautiously optimistic it’s mostly in the rearview mirror.”
While infection data is not as compressive as at the beginning of the pandemic due to governments not participating in active collection anymore, Jha said that wastewater indications have been encouraging, based on patterns he is seeing and what has happened in the past.
XBB.1.5 is essentially the “niece or nephew” of the main Omicron strains, such as BA.4 and BA.5, that were circulating in August and onward, Jha said. Its symptoms are flu-like, similar to Omicron, but do not seem to include the earlier COVID symptom of loss of smell.
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s top doctor, said earlier in January that it does not appear XBB.1.5 has more severe symptoms. However, the World Health Organization has said XBB.1.5 is the “most transmissible”
Jha attributes the better-than-expected outlook on “hybrid immunity” from people both getting infected with COVID-19 and receiving vaccination. He said this has created an “immunity wall” that has been more effective than experts had previously hoped.
“We’re in far better shape than we could have imagined last year.”
Still, Jha notes that those over 60 years old are vulnerable and should keep on wearing masks in crowded indoor areas and get a vaccination booster when eligible.
New data from the U.S. Centres for Disease Control found that the updated vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna that were geared toward the BA.4 and BA.5 variants are nearly as effective on XBB.1.5. While they were 52 per cent effective against BA.5 infections, they were 48 per cent effective against XBB.1.5 among those 18-49 years old. The vaccines fared better against XBB.1.5 for those older, with 43 per cent effectiveness against the variant for those over 65 years old compared to 37 per cent for BA.5.
XBB.1.5 is still a highly transmissible virus, though, and all it takes is one infection in a crowded room for it to spread, Jha said.
“We’ve got to be careful.”
Meanwhile, in the U.S., Jha said XBB.1.5 is causing most of its new infections and is leading to more hospitalizations, which he attributes to a lower vaccination rate in the country. The CDC reported Friday that XBB.1.5 accounts for 61.3 per cent of U.S. COVID-19 cases and is likely the dominant variant now.
MONTREAL – Quebec’s ombudsperson is warning that public services are becoming “dehumanized” in the province amid a rise in demand for them.
Marc-André Dowd released his annual report today, which highlights several examples of people receiving inadequate care across the health network in the 12 months leading to March 31.
One dying man who lived alone was denied help cleaning his cat’s litter box by his local health clinic, a service Dowd says should have been given for “humanitarian reasons.”
Dowd also describes staff at a long-term care home feeding residents “mechanically” and talking among each other — despite health ministry guidelines directing staff to maintain eye contact with residents.
The ombudsperson says his office received a record number of problems to investigate across the province’s public services — 24,867 compared with 22,053 last year.
He says his office investigated 13,358 cases between April 2023 and March of this year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
OTTAWA – French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Canada next week after a planned trip in July was cancelled amid political turmoil in France.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in a statement today that Macron will be in Canada Wednesday and Thursday after the leaders attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
Trudeau will welcome Macron in Ottawa on Wednesday, where they are expected to discuss collaboration on geopolitical issues including their ongoing support for Ukraine.
They are also expected to discuss ways to strengthen the response to emerging threats, such as disinformation.
In Montreal, Trudeau intends to show off the city’s artificial intelligence sector, while both countries reaffirm their commitment to work with counterparts on responsible use of AI.
The leaders will also discuss promoting the French language ahead of the Francophonie summit being held in France next month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Health Canada has authorized Novavax’s updated COVID-19 vaccine that protects against currently circulating variants of the virus.
The protein-based vaccine, called Nuvaxovid, has been reformulated to target the JN.1 subvariant of Omicron.
It will replace the previous version of the vaccine, which targeted the XBB.1.5 subvariant of Omicron.
Health Canada recently asked provinces and territories to get rid of their older COVID-19 vaccines to ensure the most current vaccine will be used during this fall’s respiratory virus season.
Earlier this week, Health Canada approved Moderna’s updated mRNA COVID vaccine.
It is still reviewing Pfizer’s updated mRNA vaccine, with a decision expected soon.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version erroneously described the Novavax vaccine as an mRNA shot.
