Provincial data suggests that transmission of COVID-19 is trending downward, but University of Saskatchewan epidemiologist Dr. Nazeem Muhajarine said that will likely change before September. The province says both strains have turned up in Winnipeg’s wastewater, with BA.5 making up about 10 per cent of the sequenced samples. “The province is aiming to sample at least 10 per cent, or at least — 100 samples per week,” a spokesman said in an emailed statement.
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These highly evolved variants of concern are about six to eight times more contagious than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, Muhazarin told Global News on Wednesday. Story continues below ad “It has a bunch of tricks up its sleeve to mask and evade immunity, whether it’s generated or acquired through vaccines or through infection, having COVID-19,” Muhajarine said. He warned that the vaccination probably wouldn’t prevent people from becoming infected, but it could still be shown to prevent serious outcomes. Trending Stories
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Those who were infected with Omicron BA.1, the strain released around Christmas, likely won’t be protected by these newer strains, Muhajarine said. “People get reinfected over and over again, and these reinfections seem to happen very close together.” Overall, BA.4 and BA.5 cause milder symptoms, but because they are so contagious, more people could end up in hospital, he said.
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In general, he encouraged wearing a mask in crowded and indoor areas, especially for the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. “We need to talk and think and prepare and do things that will, you know, protect ourselves from ending up in the hospital, you know, the ICU or dying from COVID 19 sooner rather than later this summer.” Story continues below ad He said he hopes provinces decide not only to expand booster eligibility to the general public, but also to repeat more extensive testing. Provincial officials are monitoring the situation but are not making any changes to public health advisories at this time, the provincial spokesperson said. 1:07 Officials urge Canadians to get COVID-19 booster, warn of spike in cases come fall Officials urge Canadians to get COVID-19 booster, warn of spike in cases come fall
