BA.2.20 in Ontario doesn't warrant significant concern, experts say
Nearly 1,000 confirmed cases of a new sublineage of the Omicron variant have been discovered in Ontario to date, newly released data from Public Health Ontario show, but experts say it doesn't warrant significant concern.
In a recent brief, Public Health Ontario said BA.2.20 -- an evolved form of the Omicron BA.2 subvariant -- has been primarily growing in Ontario.
The brief said the first case of BA.2.20 had a sample collection date of Feb. 14 and that there have been 996 cases confirmed in the province.
Over the past four weeks, the percentage of BA.2.20 cases has remained stable, at approximately 5.5 per cent, but Public Health Ontario noted that testing eligibility is currently restricted to high-risk populations and that the proportion is not representative of all BA.2 cases in the province.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Dr. Zain Chagla, an associate professor of infectious disease with McMaster University in Hamilton, said there is "no need for panic" since BA.2.20 has not caused "leaps and bounds" of COVID-19 cases overnight.
"This is probably something that's been buried within our BA.2 wave ... (meaning) whatever's happened over the last two or three months in our so-called sixth wave may have involved some of this as well," he said in a phone interview Friday.
"But recognizing that vaccines still seem very effective, that levels are receding ... and that wastewater data is down, hospitalizations are down, ICU stays are down, really suggest that community transmission of this (sublineage) does not necessarily change the game altogether. It's not going to lead to some sort of epidemiologic change in terms of increased transmission."
Public Health Ontario says BA.2.20 differs from the parent BA.2 lineage by two additional defining mutations, but the impact of the mutations on transmission, risk of severe disease, reinfection and breakthrough infection is unknown.
Dr. Gerald Evans, an infectious disease professor at Queen's University and the medical director of infection prevention and control at Kingston Health Sciences Centre, said BA.2.20 has been around in Ontario for about three months now and so far is "really not expanding."
"BA.2 was sufficiently different from BA.1 that, when it came in, it did move BA.1 out, but BA.2.20 is not doing the same thing to BA.2," Evans said.
"So my view is that this is a phenomenon that we monitor and we see not infrequently, it's been seen around the world. And typically, (these sublineages) come, they produce a few cases, don't really have a competitive advantage and eventually either die out or just kind of percolate along with the the original variant that they were with."
The Public Health Ontario brief states that the highest proportion of BA.2.20 cases was among the 20-39 age group, which accounted for 38.9 per cent of cases, followed by the 40-59, which accounted for 30.9 per cent.
The public health unit with the highest proportion of BA.2.20 cases was Toronto Public Health, with 18.8 per cent of cases, followed by Middlesex-London Health Unit, with 12.7 per cent.
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, said Friday that public health officials are tracking various COVID-19 sublineages, but are mostly keeping an eye out for a new variant that could cause a substantial increase in transmission.
"What I'm really looking out for, of course, is some substantial changes where there's an entirely new variant of concern that are not Omicron variants, but we will track these. ... Anything can happen and we will remain vigilant," she said.
Ontario reported 1,412 new infections of COVID-19 Friday, although PCR testing is limited to certain groups. The scientific director of Ontario's panel of COVID-19 advisers has said multiplying the daily case count by 10 would give a more accurate picture.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.