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Tag: variants

Topic: Ottawa-GatineauView all posts for the topic: Ottawa-Gatineau

High rates of COVID are causing outbreaks, rising hospitalizations and deaths heading into the school year

Published August 27, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: Ottawa Citizen
Published on:
By Elizabeth Payne

If it seems like many of your friends and neighbours have been sick with COVID this summer, you are not wrong.

Ottawa is experiencing a COVID-19 wave that is sending people to hospital, causing outbreaks in long-term care homes, retirement homes and hospital wards, and even causing deaths among some of the most vulnerable. At least one local hospital has tightened masking requirements following outbreaks there, and Ottawa Public Health is advising students to take precautions when they head back to school, including staying home when sick and wearing masks for their own protection and the protection of others.

Continue readingHigh rates of COVID are causing outbreaks, rising hospitalizations and deaths heading into the school year
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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

There’s been a summer surge in COVID-19 cases. Should I get a booster shot now or wait until the fall for the new updated COVID vaccine?

Published August 18, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: The Globe and Mail
Published on:
By Paul Taylor

QUESTION: I’ve heard that there’s been a summer surge in COVID-19 cases. Should I get a booster shot now or wait until the fall for the new updated COVID vaccine?

ANSWER: It’s true that there’s been a recent rise in COVID levels in Canada, according to data from waste water collection sites across the country as of the end of July.

Not so long ago, many medical experts assumed that COVID would eventually turn into a seasonal infection – similar to influenza.

Continue readingThere’s been a summer surge in COVID-19 cases. Should I get a booster shot now or wait until the fall for the new updated COVID vaccine?
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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

FDA may greenlight updated Covid-19 vaccines as soon as next week, sources say

Published August 16, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: CNN
Published on:
By Meg Tirrell

The US Food and Drug Administration is poised to sign off as soon as next week on updated Covid-19 vaccines targeting more recently circulating strains of the virus, according to two sources familiar with the matter, as the country experiences its largest summer wave in two years.

The agency is expected to greenlight updated mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech that target a strain of the virus called KP.2, said the sources, who declined to be named because the timing information isn’t public. It was unclear whether the agency simultaneously would authorize Novavax’s updated shot, which targets the JN.1 strain.

The move would be several weeks ahead of last year’s version of the vaccine, which got FDA signoff on September 11.

Continue readingFDA may greenlight updated Covid-19 vaccines as soon as next week, sources say
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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

‘High’ COVID levels show virus may no longer be an emergency in B.C. but it’s still a threat

Published August 12, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: Vancouver Sun
Published on:
By Michelle Gamage

B.C.’s [top doctor] has ended the COVID-19 public health emergency, but experts warn that COVID-19 still poses a serious and potentially deadly threat to the public.

“COVID is still a major, ongoing health issue and crisis,” said Tara Moriarty, an associate professor at the University of Toronto, an infectious disease expert and co-founder of the COVID-19 Resources Canada database.

By Moriarty’s calculations, one in 52 British Columbians currently has COVID. According to recent federal wastewater testing from mid-July, B.C. has “high” COVID-19 activity levels.

This can have major implications for public health because hospitals don’t have mandatory masking requirements.

Continue reading‘High’ COVID levels show virus may no longer be an emergency in B.C. but it’s still a threat
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Topic: QuebecView all posts for the topic: Quebec

Analysis: Quebec in midst of new COVID-19 summer wave

Published July 7, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: Montreal Gazette
Published on:
By Aaron Derfel

Quebec is now witnessing — as is the case across North America — an uptick in COVID-19 hospitalizations, reinforcing the notion that SARS-CoV-2 is still not yet a fully seasonal virus and sending vaccine manufacturers racing to develop COVID shots for this fall that will guard against the latest sub-variants.

The province reported a total of 671 hospitalizations with and for COVID-19 as of July 5. That’s up from a low of 400 such hospitalizations on April 20 in Quebec. The number of patients in emergency rooms testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 is also rising, according to the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ).

More and more Quebecers are testing positive for COVID-19, with the percentage rising to 12.9 per cent as of June 30, according to the INSPQ. That this is occurring during summer suggests that SARS-CoV-2 is still far from a seasonal virus like the flu, a view supported by doctors and experts in the field.

“COVID is not over,” Dr. Susan Kuo, a British Columbia family physician, told the CBC on Friday. “This is the summer. It’s July. It’s not usually a time that we’re seeing so many people that are sick. What this tells us is that COVID is not a seasonal virus.”

Continue readingAnalysis: Quebec in midst of new COVID-19 summer wave
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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

B.C. COVID hospitalizations at highest level since January

Published July 4, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: CTV News
Published on:
By Ian Holliday

It may not be on most people’s minds, but COVID-19 is on the rise again in B.C.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control released its monthly data on the disease Thursday, showing 204 test-positive patients in provincial hospitals. It’s only the second time all year that the hospitalized population has risen above 200, and the first time since early January.

The hospital census is more than double what it was at this time last year, when the BCCDC’s July update showed just 96 COVID patients receiving hospital care.

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Topic: CaliforniaView all posts for the topic: California

Summer COVID bump intensifies in L.A. and California, fueled by FLiRT variants

Published June 24, 2024

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Published by: Los Angeles Times
Published on:
By Rong-Gong Lin II

The new COVID-19 subvariants collectively nicknamed FLiRT are continuing to increase their dominance nationwide, fueling a rise in cases in Los Angeles County and growth in the coronavirus levels seen in California wastewater.

Taken together, the data point to a coronavirus resurgence in the Golden State — one that, while not wholly unexpected given the trends seen in previous pandemic-era summers, has arrived earlier and is being driven by even more transmissible strains than those previously seen.

It remains unclear how bad the COVID situation may get this summer, however. Doctors have said that by the Fourth of July, we may have a better feel for how the rest of the season will play out.

Continue readingSummer COVID bump intensifies in L.A. and California, fueled by FLiRT variants
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Topic: United KingdomView all posts for the topic: United Kingdom

UK Covid hospitalisations increase following emergence of new variant

Published June 23, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: The Independent
Published on:
By Matt Mathers

Experts have warned that Covid “hasn’t gone away” after an uptick in infections and hospitalisations that is thought to have been caused by new variants of the virus.

A group of Covid mutations has recently emerged and is collectively referred to as FLiRT.

According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Covid hospital admissions increased by 24 per cent in the week to Sunday, with a rate of 3.31 per 100,000 people compared with 2.67 per 100,000 in the previous week.

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Topic: AlbertaView all posts for the topic: Alberta

COVID-19 on the rise in Alberta as summer approaches

Published June 18, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: CBC News
Published on:
By Jennifer Lee

Albertans can expect a further COVID-19 bump, driven by yet another crop of new variants, experts are cautioning.

COVID cases, hospitalizations and positivity rates have been rising since April.

“Unlike other respiratory illnesses, we’re not really getting a summer reprieve,” said Sarah (Sally) Otto, a COVID-19 modeller and professor in the department of zoology at the University of British Columbia.

“We’re seeing this across Canada and globally, that there’s an uptick in cases. And that’s coming from these new variants [and the] evolution of this virus.”

The KP.2 and KP.3 variants, combined, now account for more than half of Alberta’s sequenced cases.

Continue readingCOVID-19 on the rise in Alberta as summer approaches
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Topic: SingaporeView all posts for the topic: Singapore

Singapore facing new Covid-19 wave; vaccination recommended especially for seniors: Ong Ye Kung

Published May 18, 2024

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Published by: The Straits Times
Published on:
By Chin Soo Fang

Singapore is seeing a new Covid-19 wave, with rising cases of infection in the last two weeks, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on May 18.

“We are at the beginning part of the wave where it is steadily rising,” said Mr Ong. “So I would say the wave should peak in the next two to four weeks, which means between mid- and end of June.”

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said that to protect hospital bed capacity and as a precaution, public hospitals have been asked to reduce their non-urgent elective surgery cases and move suitable patients to facilities like transitional care facilities or back home through Mobile Inpatient Care@Home.

Continue readingSingapore facing new Covid-19 wave; vaccination recommended especially for seniors: Ong Ye Kung
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Topic: variantsView all posts for the topic: variants

New virus variants threaten a summer Covid-19 wave, but experts say the risk remains uncertain

Published May 17, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: CNN
Published on:
By Deidre McPhillips

Covid-19 levels are about the lowest they’ve ever been in the United States, but another new crop of virus variants once again threatens to disrupt the downward trend as the country heads into summer.

KP.2 — one of the so-called FLiRT variants — has overtaken JN.1 to become the dominant coronavirus variant in the United States, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data through May 11 shows that it’s responsible for more than a quarter of cases in the country, which is nearly twice as many as JN.1. A related variant, KP.1.1, has caused about 7% of cases, CDC data shows.

Continue readingNew virus variants threaten a summer Covid-19 wave, but experts say the risk remains uncertain
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‘FLiRT’ COVID-19 subvariant dominant in Canada. What to know about the strainElectron microscope image of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles. Virus particles are shown emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. Image captured and colourized at NIAID’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana. Photo by: NIAID. Creative Commons CC BY 2.0 DEED Attribution 2.0 Generic license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/.
Topic: variantsView all posts for the topic: variants

‘FLiRT’ COVID-19 subvariant dominant in Canada. What to know about the strain

Published May 10, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: Global News
Published on:
By Katie Dangerfield

Canada’s lull in COVID-19 cases faces a potential disruption with the emergence of a new family of subvariants, playfully dubbed the ‘FLiRT’ variants.

These genetic cousins, originating from JN.1, the Omicron subvariant that fuelled the winter surge, are now spreading nationwide, with one variant, KP.2, quickly gaining dominance in Canada.

KP.2 is the dominant subvariant of the JN.1 strain, explained Gerald Evans, an infectious disease specialist at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. As of April 28, national data shows that KP.2 accounted for 26.6 per cent of all COVID-19 cases in Canada, surpassing other JN.1 subvariants.

Continue reading‘FLiRT’ COVID-19 subvariant dominant in Canada. What to know about the strain
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Topic: The NetherlandsView all posts for the topic: The Netherlands

COVID Patient’s Infection Lasts Record 613 Days—and Accumulated Over 50 Mutations

Published April 18, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: Time
Published on:
By Jason Gale / Bloomberg

A Covid-19 patient with a weakened immune system incubated a highly mutated novel strain over 613 days before succumbing to an underlying illness, researchers in the Netherlands found.

The patient, a 72-year-old man with a blood disorder, failed to mount a strong immune response to multiple Covid shots before catching the omicron variant in February 2022. Detailed analysis of specimens collected from more than two dozen nose and throat swabs found the coronavirus developed resistance to sotrovimab, a Covid antibody treatment, within a few weeks, scientists at the University of Amsterdam’s Centre for Experimental and Molecular Medicine said. It later acquired over 50 mutations, including some that suggested an enhanced ability to evade immune defenses, they said.

Continue readingCOVID Patient’s Infection Lasts Record 613 Days—and Accumulated Over 50 Mutations
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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

New estimates show latest COVID vaccine cuts risk of symptomatic infection

Published February 1, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: CIDRAP
Published on:
By Stephanie Soucheray

Today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, researchers published findings showing adults who received an updated 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine were 54% less likely to have symptomatic infection than those who didn’t, and the vaccine was found to protect against JN.1 and other circulating variants.

This is one of the first studies to update 2023-24 COVID vaccine effectiveness (VE) data. The monovalent (single-strain) booster vaccine derived from XBB.1.5 was approved for use in all Americans 6 months and older on September 12, 2023, but uptake has been low. Moreover, the XBB strains of the virus, which the vaccine was based on, are no longer the dominant strains in the United States, having been replaced by JN.1 in December 2023.

Continue readingNew estimates show latest COVID vaccine cuts risk of symptomatic infection
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Topic: New BrunswickView all posts for the topic: New Brunswick

COVID-19 kills 3 more in N.B., new variant JN.1 appears poised to become dominant

Published January 30, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: CBC News
Published on:
By Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon

COVID-19 has killed three more New Brunswickers and a new subvariant, JN.1, appears to be on its way to taking over as the dominant strain in the province.

COVID-19 activity remains “moderate,” according to Tuesday’s Respiratory Watch report. Most indicators remained “stable” throughout the reporting period, Jan. 14 to Jan. 20, it says.

The flu has killed two more people, but influenza activity decreased during the reporting week, with the number of new cases dropping back to historical averages, the report shows.

Continue readingCOVID-19 kills 3 more in N.B., new variant JN.1 appears poised to become dominant
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Topic: the pandemic is not overView all posts for the topic: the pandemic is not over

COVID levels are up to 19 times higher than reported, WHO says as it warns of the potential dangers of repeat reinfection: ‘We don’t know everything about this virus’

Published January 12, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: Fortune
Published on:
By Erin Prater

Five years, 10 years, 20 years from now, what are we going to see in terms of cardiac impairment, pulmonary impairment, neurologic impairment? It’s year five in the pandemic, but there’s still a lot we don’t know about it.

—Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove
Continue readingCOVID levels are up to 19 times higher than reported, WHO says as it warns of the potential dangers of repeat reinfection: ‘We don’t know everything about this virus’
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Topic: AlbertaView all posts for the topic: Alberta

Latest COVID-19 variant wrestles its way to the top in Alberta

Published January 10, 2024

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Published by: CBC News
Published on:
By Jennifer Lee

A new COVID-19 variant appears to be on its way to taking over in Alberta, with one expert predicting it likely already accounts for the lion’s share of the province’s cases.

JN.1 is an offshoot of BA.2.86, which has evolved, like many of its predecessors, to better evade our immune defences.

It is now the dominant strain in Canada. Data from the Public Health Agency of Canada shows it accounted for about 66 per cent of COVID-19 cases nationwide by the end of December.

Continue readingLatest COVID-19 variant wrestles its way to the top in Alberta
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