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A total of 21 cases of XBB.1.5 COVID subvariant have been detected in Canada as of Wednesday, the country’s public health agency has confirmed.
XBB.1.5 is a sub-lineage of the Omicron subvariant XBB and has been deemed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the “most transmissible” COVID strain so far.
The new subvariant has been detected in 29 countries to date, according to the WHO.
In a statement to Global News, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said that they will continue to “carefully monitor the spread of XBB.”
“Proportions and growth rates will not be reported until there is sufficient data.”
“XBB.1.5 is currently considered to be only detected sporadically. As data rolls in, growth rates can be more accurately estimated,” the agency said.
This subvariant is now responsible for approximately 70 per cent of new COVID-19 cases in the Northeastern U.S., which represents a massive growth rate since early December, when it accounted for just four per cent of new U.S. COVID cases, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
More to come…
— With files from Teresa Wright
