Will updated COVID vaccines work against latest variant? Canadian scientists monitor global research
CTV
Federal scientists will be monitoring global research to determine the effectiveness of updated vaccines against the latest COVID-19 variant, BA.2.86, Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada say.
Federal scientists will be monitoring global research to determine the effectiveness of updated vaccines against the latest COVID-19 variant, Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada say.
Canada's first known case of the Omicron variant BA.2.86 was detected this week in British Columbia as the country became the seventh in the world to report its presence.
Health Canada is currently reviewing applications for Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech's new mRNA vaccines, developed against the dominant XBB.1.5 variant ahead of a vaccination campaign set for the fall.
As of this week, there were only 13 sequences of the highly mutated variant BA. 2.86 available to analyze across six other countries -- four in Denmark, three in the United States, two in Portugal, two in South Africa, one in Israel, and one in the United Kingdom, Health Canada and PHAC said in an email.
"Scientists are looking for signs that BA.2.86 lineages would change disease severity or spread, or impact the effectiveness of diagnostic tests, vaccines or treatments for COVID-19," they said.
"As this new variant was just detected in Canada, it is difficult to have an understanding of its prevalence. As laboratories' and clinical data is reported to PHAC, a more accurate picture will begin to emerge."
COVID-19 cases involving the XBB.1.5 variant are currently at a low to moderate level, with stable or increasing trends in all reporting provinces and territories, Health Canada and PHAC said.
