Well being officers say they've detected no less than 15 instances of the COVID-19 Omicron subvariant BA.2 in Ontario.
Public Well being Ontario launched the most recent information on Friday afternoon, saying that eight of the instances have been recognized between Jan. 1, 2021 and Dec. 11, 2021, whereas the seven remaining instances have been discovered between Dec. 12, 2021 and Jan. 8, 2022.
BA.2 is a descendant of the extremely transmissible Omicron variant and has been present in no less than 40 international locations thus far. It was first detected in November final 12 months.
Whereas the World Well being Group (WHO) has not but dubbed BA.2 a "variant of concern," it's monitoring its unfold.
The subvariant is extensively thought-about stealthier than the unique model as a result of specific genetic traits make it considerably tougher to detect. Some scientists have expressed fear that it may be extra contagious.
It isn't but clear whether or not it evades vaccines higher or causes extra extreme illness.
The Omicron variant, B.1.1.529, has 4 sub-lineages: BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2 and BA.3.
Seven of the 15 instances in Ontario are from Toronto. Public Well being Ontario didn't establish the situation of the remaining eight instances.
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