Health Canada is monitoring a new COVID-19 variant that has been detected in several countries, public health officials have confirmed.
The World Health Organization (WHO) to its list of COVID-19 variants that are under monitoring on Thursday.
While there are no cases of BA.2.86 confirmed in Canada yet, Health Canada told CTVNews.ca that public health officials are also monitoring for any cases that may arise.
鈥淭he Government of Canada has a strong monitoring program in place with the provinces and territories to identify COVID-19 variants in Canada,鈥 a spokesperson for Health Canada said in an emailed statement Monday.
鈥淧ublic Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) scientists, along with national and international experts, are actively monitoring and evaluating BA.2.86 lineages and their associated studies.鈥
The new variant has been detected in Denmark, Israel and the U.S. since late July, according to the open global genome sequencing database .
Epidemiologists and infectious disease experts maintain that the emergence of this new variant is not yet reason to be concerned.
鈥淧eople should be cautious about jumping to premature conclusions,鈥 said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, a Toronto-based infectious disease expert, during a phone interview with CTVNews.ca on Monday.
鈥淎s it stands, we鈥檙e at six genotypes from four countries on three continents. That鈥檚 all,鈥 he said. 鈥淪o we know what the genetic make-up is and there are components of that that raise an eyebrow for sure, but that鈥檚 about all we know.鈥
Bogoch explained that this emerging variant deviates from more recent mutations of COVID-19.
鈥淭here were components of this mutation that were reminiscent of BA2, which we saw much earlier on in the Omicron era,鈥 he said. 鈥淭here were [also] components similar to Delta mutations.鈥
Since the detection of this mutation is still early, Bogoch said that not enough information is known about BA.2.86鈥檚 transmissibility.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 know anything about what we would call virulence 鈥 how hard a punch [a variant] like this would pack.鈥
Bogoch added that detection tactics such as wastewater surveillance have proven 鈥渆xtremely important.鈥
鈥淕enotyping,鈥 a component of pathogen surveillance networks, allow scientists to observe changes in viruses in multiple regions 鈥 through waste water or clinical diagnosis 鈥 and then share data to open source public networks, he explained.
Dr. Tyson Graber, a research associate at the CHEO Research Institute in Ottawa who has helped detect prior variant mutations in wastewater research, further emphasized that it鈥檚 too soon to tell how transmissible the virus will be.
鈥淏A.2.86 is not yet contributing to the current wave that has begun in many locations in Europe, the U.S. and here in Canada,鈥 he wrote in an email to CTVNews.ca. 鈥淏ut clinical and wastewater surveillance networks in Ontario are providing the public with excellent situational awareness as we head into an uncertain fall pandemic period.鈥
According to WHO, all viruses, including , the virus that causes COVID-19, change over time.
鈥淢ost changes have little to no impact on the virus鈥檚 properties. However, some changes may affect the virus鈥檚 properties, such as how easily it spreads, the associated disease severity, or the performance of vaccines, therapeutic medicines, diagnostic tools, or other public health and social measures,鈥 the organization鈥檚 website reads.
Bogoch believes the important part of this new COVID-19 lineage is that these cases were 鈥渄etected early.鈥
鈥淭hey were shared globally rather quickly,鈥 he said. 鈥淎nd we鈥檒l learn a lot more about this in the coming weeks as more genomes are uploaded to the system. It鈥檚 too soon to know whether this is going to amount to anything or not.鈥
In part three of a four-part investigation into the seedy underbelly of the lucrative clothing donation bin industry, CTV W5's Jon Woodward and Joseph Loiero look into allegations that the industry is rife with organized crime activity.
Canada will lower the number of permanent immigrants it allows into the country by at least 20 per cent from its previous target of 500,000, 愛污传媒 confirmed Wednesday.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante announced Wednesday she would not seek a third mandate. Her decision has many talking about the demands of municipal leadership, particularly for women.
The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Liberal party is 'strong and united,' despite efforts from within his caucus to oust him as leader.
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Abousfian Abdelrazik told a court Wednesday about the roller-coaster of emotions he experienced during the tense days of early 2009 when he awaited the green light to return to Canada from Sudan.
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Trash carried by a North Korean balloon fell on the presidential compound in central Seoul on Thursday, officials said, the second such case in recent months that raise concerns about the vulnerability of key South Korean sites during potential North Korean aggression.
Turkiye鈥檚 air force struck Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday in apparent retaliation for an attack at a key state-run defence company that killed five people and wounded more than a dozen others.
The Justice Department warned Elon Musk鈥檚 America PAC in recent days that his US$1 million sweepstakes to registered voters in swing states may violate federal law, people briefed on the matter told CNN.
If you鈥檙e a regular visitor to Walt Disney World, your annual passes are going to cost you more. The resort in Orlando, Fla., hiked prices on all four levels of its passes on Wednesday.
Three people were found dead Wednesday and four others were hospitalized after an 'unexplained' incident at a care home in southern England, police said.
The U.S. said Wednesday that 3,000 North Korean troops have deployed to Russia and are training at several locations, calling the move very serious and warning that those forces will be 'fair game' if they go into combat in Ukraine.
Canada will lower the number of permanent immigrants it allows into the country by at least 20 per cent from its previous target of 500,000, 愛污传媒 confirmed Wednesday.
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McDonald鈥檚 worked Wednesday to reassure customers that its U.S. restaurants are safe as federal investigators tried to pinpoint the cause of a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to the fast-food giant's Quarter Pounder hamburgers.
A quick shake of the head after a hard hit could signal that a person has a concussion, a new study suggests, based on the experiences of young athletes.
A recall has been issued for certain clothing items sold at Giant Tiger stores over high levels of lead, according to a notice published by Health Canada Tuesday.
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Cardi B says she has been hospitalized with a medical emergency and will have to miss a Saturday night headlining performance at an Atlanta music festival.
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Canada's discount airline is suspending operations to and from Saskatoon.
Things could be looking up for Waterloo, Ont.-based company and former tech darling Sandvine, after being removed from the U.S. Department of Commerce Entity List earlier this week.
Starbucks Corp suspended its forecast through the next fiscal year as new CEO Brian Niccol looks to turn around the coffee giant struggling with falling demand for its pricey drinks.
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Evan Mobley had 25 points and eight rebounds to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 136-106 rout in Toronto's home opener on Wednesday as the Raptors also lost starting point guard Immanuel Quickley.
Former 'Malcolm in the Middle' star Frankie Muniz is set to continue his NASCAR career with a full-time ride in the Truck Series for 2025.
An increased risk of fire has prompted the recall of thousands of Honda hybrid vehicles in Canada.
A senior executive for Volkswagen in China has been deported for allegedly using cocaine and marijuana while on vacation in Thailand, according to Chinese authorities and German media reports.
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Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.
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Southey RCMP say drivers should expect delays on Highway 6 Wednesday night after a serious crash.
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Detective Robert Hofstetter examined Erb鈥檚 home after her death and came to several conclusions based on the blood stains he found there.
A psychologist who recently assessed Geovanny Villalba-Aleman believes he may have experienced a psychotic break before stabbing three people in a gender studies class at a University of Waterloo.
Corrections Service Canada has confirmed a women鈥檚 prison in Kitchener is in lockdown.
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Canada's discount airline is suspending operations to and from Saskatoon.
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The Windsor Jewish Federation responded on Wednesday evening to a decision by the board of governors for the University of Windsor concerning its agreements with pro-Palestinian protesters.
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Two B.C. RCMP officers won鈥檛 face criminal charges for their use for force that left a man who had been arrested for public intoxication with a concussion, a torn shoulder and a chunk of his hair missing 鈥 but they could face professional discipline.
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Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
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Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
Graduate students looking to become mental-health professionals will have more opportunities to study in the University of Lethbridge鈥檚 Master of Education Counselling Psychology program.
A dazzling light display is making its return to Lethbridge this holiday season.
As part of anniversary celebrations, the City of Lethbridge is inviting the community to see VisitLethbridge.com Arena like they never have before.
The lack of 24-hour public washrooms has been a long-standing issue in the Sault, especially considering the rise in homelessness.
The union representing the fire rangers with the Ministry of Natural Resources says money won鈥檛 fix the systemic problems in the workplace.
Rallies by a group called Voices Against Violence took place across the country on Monday, including Sault Ste. Marie.
Investigators found the remains of a 77-year-old American man on Wednesday at the scene of a fire that destroyed a hotel in western Newfoundland earlier on the weekend.
Police in western Newfoundland say a 77-year-old man visiting the province from Kansas is missing after a fire at a hotel in Deer Lake, N.L.
At 2 p.m. on Thursday, the scene at the Lions Club in Clarenville, N.L., rivalled any rowdy St. John's bar that thumps with music late on a weekend night.
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