Several cases of Omicron BA.2 sub-variant identified in Quebec
Health officials say they have detected several cases of the Omicron BA.2 sub-variant in Quebec.
According to the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), five cases of a previously unreported COVID-19 strain have been identified in the province.
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The INSQP says it is “monitoring the epidemiological situation closely” as the organization is wary that the strain could be more transmissible and could be harder to detect.
Le variant BA.2 (#Omicron) a été détecté chez 5 voyageurs ayant transité par Montréal. Sa virulence, sa transmissibilité et sa capacité de résistance aux vaccins seraient similaires aux autres souches. L’INSPQ suit la situation épidémiologique de près. https://t.co/8uiDP1eoPP
— INSPQ (@INSPQ) January 27, 2022
All five of Quebec’s Omicron BA.2 cases were among international travellers who were tested upon arrival at Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport.
According to Dr. Theresa Tam, the chief public health officer of Canada, more than 100 BA.2 lineage COVID-19 cases have been identified since November 2021.
At a press conference on Friday, Tam told reporters that Canada was one of the first countries to identify the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron.
“We’ve detected that since November of last year. We’re one of the first countries to actually pick up on this variant as well,” she said.
BA.2 has not been identified as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, it does have some differences from the Omicron variant.
Tam says the “vast majority” of COVID-19 cases in Canada continue to be the Omicron variant, and that they are monitoring BA.2 closely.