Two new Omicron subvariants that are driving a surge of COVID-19 infections in South Africa have been detected in Canada.
In an email to CTVNews.ca, a Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) spokesperson confirmed they are aware of three BA.4 cases in Canada, and one of BA.5.
“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. “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.”
The latest government data shows the highly-transmissible BA.2 Omicron subvariant is currently the most common cause of COVID-19 infection in the country.
“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,” the PHAC spokesperson said.
One early study, which has not been peer-reviewed, suggests BA.4 and BA.5 “show potential higher transmissibility over BA.2” and could also possibly evade antibodies created from previous Omicron infections.
Another study, also undergoing peer-review, suggests that although vaccination “would likely offer good protection against severe disease,” the two subvariants’ ability to dodge antibodies could “result in a new infection wave.”
“Subvariants are driving a major surge in cases,” World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a media briefing on Tuesday. “Omicron, and specifically BA.4 and BA.5, is driving the upsurge in South Africa, while BA.2 is dominant worldwide.”
Since late April, new COVID-19 infections in South Africa have numbered in the thousands each day, up from hundreds the month prior. In a May 4 update, the WHO said there were more than 32,000 cases in the country over the previous week, an increase of 67 per cent. Less than 40 per cent of the population of 60 million is fully vaccinated.
The WHO initially announced it was tracking a few dozen BA.4 and BA.5 cases on April 11. Over the past month, the subvariants have been detected in countries such as Germany, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Austria, the U.S. and Denmark.
“The BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants were identified because South Africa is still doing the vital genetic sequencing that many other countries have stopped doing,” Ghebreyesus said earlier in May.
According to the WHO, it’s too soon to know if BA.4 and BA.5 cause more severe illness.
“It’s still very early days with this,” WHO COVID-19 technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove said in a May 3 video. “What we can say at the present time is that it is really critical that people get vaccinated. Vaccines still work incredibly well against preventing severe disease and death.”
With files from Reuters and CTVNews.ca Writer Solarina Ho
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
