A new coronavirus subvariant on the rise in some parts of the world has also been circulating in Canada since at least May, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
While experts say this latest strain, EG.5, appears to be more infectious and able to sneak past our immune defences, there’s also not much evidence to suggest that it causes more severe illness.
“It’s something to certainly keep a close eye on, but I’m not significantly worried about it at this point,” said Dr. Syra Madad, an epidemiologist at the Harvard Belfer Center.
EG.5 subvariants are predicted to have made up 36 per cent of cases in Canada between July 30 to Aug. 5, according to an email the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) shared with CBC News.
A new coronavirus subvariant that’s being monitored by the World Health Organization has become the most common strain in the United States. While it’s unclear how widespread subvariant EG.5 is in Canada, experts say people should look to get a booster shot and wear masks in crowded indoor areas. (CBC)
The agency also said it is aware of EG.5 being found 36 times in municipal wastewater between May 15 to July 21.
Modelling data from the U.S. estimates that it has made up 17.3 per cent of all cases in the country over the last two weeks, making it the most common strain.
Currently, some parts of Canada are seeing a slight increase in COVID-19 cases, according to recent data.
In Ontario, for example, data shows that testing positivity has increased from about five per cent to nearly seven per cent within one month.
In recent weeks, the United States has also seen a jump in cases and hospitalizations.
But it’s unclear whether the new variant is driving the uptick.
What is EG.5?
EG.5, is a subvariant of Omicron — which remains the most common version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Canada.
Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, says Omicron is like the “great grandparents” of all the subvariants that have followed.
“They are all essentially Omicron — you can think of it as like a family and they’re the children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren in this family,” she said.
University of Saskatchewan virologist Angela Rasmussen says COVID-19 vaccines protect against severe illness and also decrease the chances of contracting the virus. (Submitted by the University of Saskatchewan)
Dr. Caroline Colijn, a mathematician and epidemiologist at Simon Fraser University, told CBC News in an email that EG.5’s mutations likely make it more infectious than the previous Omicron XBB subvariants.
Colijn, a member of an interdisciplinary team of researchers called the Coronavirus Variants Rapid Response Network (CoVaRR-Net), suspects that there could be a rise in EG.5 in the fall, but she doesn’t anticipate a “huge fall wave.”
She says that because there’s still a lot of immunity, EG.5 is not suspected to be more severe than other subvariants.
Right now, it’s unclear whether the subvariant causes any unfamiliar symptoms that haven’t already been documented by other Omicron offshoots.
“It doesn’t seem as if it’s causing, you know, an increase in severity of illness or … impacting the current vaccines and therapeutics,” said Madad, who is also the senior director of the system-wide special pathogens program at New York City Health and Hospitals.
What’s the spread like in Canada?
According to the email from PHAC, EG.5 subvariants have been found across the country, though the agency didn’t specify where.
PHAC says its scientists are “actively monitoring and evaluating EG.5 lineages,” and that they are “looking for signs that EG.5 lineages would change disease severity or spread, or impact the effectiveness of diagnostic tests, vaccines or treatments for COVID-19.”
Dr. Prabhat Jha is a professor of global health at the University of Toronto and a scientist at Unity Health Toronto. Since EG.5 is an Omicron descendant, Jha says the boosters coming out this fall should also work to protect against it. (Jennifer La Grassa/CBC)
Monitoring by CoVaRR-Net, has found that the subvariant is in Canada and it’s becoming eight per cent more frequent every day, according to Colijn.
The United States, Europe and Asia have also found EG.5 in their surveillance.
In particular, they will target Omicron’s XBB subvariants. EG.5 is an offshoot of those.
Since EG.5 is an Omicron descendant, Dr. Prabhat Jha, a scientist at Unity Health Toronto, says the boosters coming out this fall should also work to protect against this new subvariant.
“I’m reasonably confident that we’re not looking at a new, new variant that is so different that the vaccines wouldn’t provide protection against that,” said Jha.
Even if the vaccine coming out isn’t a specific match for EG.5, Rasmussen says there’s enough data showing that variant specific boosters can have a broad effect.
Experts are advising people to wear masks in the fall to protect against COVID-19. (CBC / Radio-Canada)
While she said it won’t “completely prevent infection,” she noted that it still “provides really strong protection against hospitalization, death and some studies are suggesting long COVID as well.”
For people most at risk — those who are elderly, immunocompromised or have a chronic health issue — Jha says it’s best to speak with your family doctor about whether you should get the booster that is currently available or wait to get the fall one.
But in general, experts like Jha and Rasmussen say that to protect themselves, Canadians should:
Mask in crowded indoor places.
Get the latest booster vaccine, especially if they are at high risk.
Take an at-home test to know when to stay home.
“I think we know how to live with this virus, but living with the virus means not indifference, but prudence,” said Jha. “And making sure that we use all the tools that we have.”
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
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