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home / 世界杯决赛2022

quebec urges vaccination as covid subvariant kraken spreads

officially known as xbb.1.5, it is the most transmissible subvariant yet detected.

by andy riga

jan 12 2023
read time 4 minute read
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a super-contagious covid-19 subvariant is spreading in quebec, leading to calls for more vaccination and mask-wearing.

xbb.1.5, the most transmissible subvariant yet detected, accounted for 2.4 per cent of new cases between christmas and new year’s eve, the institut national de santé publique du québec said wednesday.

that’s five times more than two weeks earlier.
the rapid growth is raising fears the subvariant — informally known as kraken — will follow the same course in quebec as it did in the u.s. northeast. almost non-existent in early december, the omicron subvariant now accounts for about 70 per cent of cases in the region.
experts say it’s unclear whether kraken can cause more severe infections or lead to more deaths.
but xbb.1.5 is more infectious and some of its mutations help it escape immunity, said dr. donald vinh of the mcgill university health centre.
quebecers with older antibodies — because they are inadequately vaccinated or had a pre-omicron infection — “will not necessarily be able to fight off this new variant,” said vinh, an infectious-disease specialist. omicron was first detected in late 2021.
“one of the things that contributes to having an outdated immune system is that your vaccination status is not up to date,” he added. “you haven’t had at least three doses. you haven’t had a recent booster dose or that recent booster dose hasn’t been a bivalent.”
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in new york state, covid hospitalizations are at their highest level in almost a year, with officials in part blaming xbb.1.5.
vinh said it’s too early to tell, but it appears that “the scenario here is just going to mirror what’s happening in new york. there’s no reason to think anything differently.
“they have the same weather conditions and therefore the same social behaviours as us — crowding indoors when it gets cold. they have the same sort of strategy in terms of public health, which is very minimal or self-responsible.”
speaking in quebec city, health minister christian dubé said what’s happening in new york is “very worrying.”
but he said dr. luc boileau, quebec’s public health director, is not concerned about the situation in the province at the moment.
“usually what happens in the united states — especially in eastern states like new york — happens to us as well,” dubé said.
“we will follow that very, very closely, but i would suggest to those who have not been vaccinated that they should go and get a vaccine very quickly.”
vinh said the unvaxxed should get a shot and vaccinated people who have not had a bivalent booster dose should do so. he also advised people to wear masks and avoid indoor spaces where people are too close together.
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quebecers who have become blasé about covid should think twice, vinh added.
“you could say, ‘well, if i get infected and i get flu-like symptoms for about a week, i’m ok with that.’ that’s ok — that’s somebody’s personal risk,” he said.
“but they also have to remember that there are other potential consequences” — organ damage and long covid. “so people also have to remember that if they protect themselves now, it may also mitigate longer-term risks that are a little bit more abstract.”

in a report published wednesday, the institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux projected a slight decline in hospitalizations in quebec over the next two weeks.

but it noted that the latest forecast is “fraught with uncertainty” because of possible delays in the collection of hospital data over the end-of-year holidays.
last week judith fafard, the medical director of the province’s public health laboratory, said a dramatic rise in cases in quebec due to xbb.1.5 could lead to a rise in hospitalizations that could have an impact on the province’s health system.

the u.s. food and drug administration has said it does not expect the covid antibody cocktail evusheld to provide protection against xbb.1.5.

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quebec provides evusheld free of charge to prevent covid-19 in certain individuals at high risk for complications. it’s not a vaccine replacement, but can provide additional protection, especially for people who are severely immunocompromised, the province says.
vinh said indications that evusheld will not protect against xbb.1.5 are a concern.
“when you have a virus that becomes stronger — strong enough to make one of your drug options obsolete — that really doesn’t tip the scales in our favour, it tips the scales in the favour of the virus,” he said.

on the other hand, the two antivirals available — remdesivir and paxlovid — still “seem to be able to do their job and kill the virus,” vinh added.

xbb.1.5 is causing concern around the world.
citing its proliferation in the u.s., the world health organization this week recommended passengers wear masks on long-haul flights.
in europe, the subvariant has been detected in small but growing numbers, officials said. meanwhile, south africa has said it would offer additional booster vaccines to all adults after detecting xbb.1.5.
ariga@postmedia.com
andy riga
andy riga

andy riga has moved around since starting at the gazette in 1991. business reporter. technology columnist. national assembly correspondent. transport reporter. producer for the ipad edition. covid live blogger and newsletter writer. today, he’s a reporter/feature writer who covers a bit of everything.

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