2 new COVID-19 variants confirmed in N.B. as cases climb

Two new COVID-19 variants have arrived in New Brunswick.

Omicron BA.2.86 and  FL.1.5.1 have both been detected through random sequencing of positive cases, Department of Health spokesperson Sean Hatchard confirmed.

He declined to say when the new variants were confirmed in New Brunswick or how many cases have been detected.

The province no longer provides sequencing breakdowns in the Respiratory Watch report. Public Health will only confirm the presence or non-presence of a variant upon request.

But there have been six cases of BA.2.86, including four on Sept. 27, one on Oct. 3 and one on Oct. 12, according to Protect Our Province (POP) N.B., based on data obtained through GISAID — an international non-profit project to share genome data on viruses, as contributed by the Vitalité Health Network’s originating lab.

A total of 46 cases of FL.1.5.1 have been confirmed — 10 in August, 23 in September and 13 to date in October, POP N.B. says.

“As always, New Brunswickers are advised to assess and manage their personal risk and to continue using public health precautions that can decrease their risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19,” Hatchard said in an emailed statement.

“If there is reason to alert the public about new ways to protect themselves from a particular strain, it will be communicated.”

More immune-evasive

BA.2.86, which likely stemmed from BA.2, an Omicron descendent that helped spark a wave of infections in spring 2022, appeared suddenly in a number of countries over the summer and was deemed a variant under monitoring by the World Health Organization on Aug. 17. The first Canadian case was confirmed in B.C. at the end of August.

Initially, its “large number of mutations raised concerns that it might behave differently,” and “have some unpleasant new properties,” said Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto.

But so far, “there is no indication that happened.”

Although the highly mutated variant does appear to be “more immune escaping” than previous strains, it does not seem to be more severe and has not fuelled a fall wave, said Furness.

No major issues have been flagged with FL.1.5.1, a variation of XBB, either, he said, although it accounted for an estimated six per cent of sequenced COVID infections across the country last week, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

EG.5, confirmed in New Brunswick in August, and its sublineages, are now dominant in Canada and the U.S.

“To the best of our knowledge, none of these variants are behaving particularly differently, with a trend towards increased immune escape and possibly somewhat less transmissibility,” Furness said in an email.

“Less transmissibility favours those who are actively trying to avoid infection (e.g., social distancing, masking); increased immune escape disadvantages those who depend on vaccination and prior infection to avoid illness.

“However, the new COVID booster is expected to be effective against these.”

The vaccines are designed to target the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant, “but there seems to be pretty good cross-reactivity” for the newer variants, said Furness. 

Monday was the first day Moderna’s updated COVID vaccine was available in the province to people aged six months or older, if it’s been at least six months since their last dose or COVID infection. Pfizer-BioNTech’s updated COVID vaccine is expected to arrive in late October or early November, the Department of Health has said.

COVID is on the rise in New Brunswick, according to figures released earlier this week.

The Department of Health reported two more COVID-19 deaths and a nearly 63 per cent week-over-week jump in hospitalizations Tuesday, and an infectious diseases researcher says about one in 52 New Brunswickers are currently infected with the virus.

Intensive care unit admissions, COVID outbreaks and new confirmed cases also all increased during the first week of October, according to the province’s Respiratory Watch report.

Free rapid tests available at 74 locations

The Department of Health continues to provide free rapid test kits to “anyone who would like to have [them] on hand in case they become symptomatic,” said Hatchard.

But to find out where they can pick up the test kits and when, people still have to book an appointment online by entering their medicare number, postal code, date of birth, email address and phone number, or by contacting Tele-Services at 1-833-437-1424.

CBC requested a detailed list of the pickup locations and their hours of operation, but Hatchard said there are 74 locations across the province with appointments available during “daytime, evening and weekends,” depending on the site.

“The online scheduler system is designed to provide an appointment at a location nearest the user, but other nearby locations are also available. If appointments are unavailable on one day, they are typically available the next day,” he said.

There has been an increase in scheduled appointments in some health regions in recent weeks, but a decrease in others, according to Hatchard, who did not provide any specifics.

“The Department of Health regularly monitors activity at rapid test pick-up sites around the province. Working with our partner locations, new sites are onboarded, and underutilized locations closed, on an ongoing basis.”

Calls to eliminate ‘hurdles’ to access

NB Lung, which began offering free rapid test kits for pick up at its Fredericton office last month without any need for an appointment, has heard complaints from people who are “having some challenges” with the government’s appointment system, according to president and CEO Melanie Langille.

“They’re happy to just be able to walk into our office [between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.] without jumping through any hoops,” she said.

Langille would like to see the government make information about the availability of rapid tests across the province “a lot more accessible” to the public. A simple list or Google map would “go a long way,” she said.

“We know people are looking for it and we know the province has … a lot of stock on hand. So … we should be able to get them from stock into the hands of New Brunswickers without too many hurdles.”

‘Huge demand’

NB Lung has seen a “huge demand” in recent weeks, surpassing 1,000 kits, each containing five tests, last week, said Langille.

It’s “really exciting because it’s important for us to know that people are testing to know if their symptoms are COVID-19,” as opposed to another respiratory illness, “because that has implications on … your eligibility for future booster doses and/or your ability to maybe get some antiviral treatments [such as Paxlovid] at the pharmacy,” she said.

NB Lung is generally offering two test kits per person, said Langille.

“But really, there’s no limit. If someone has asked for their neighbour, we’ll send them home with extras as well.”

It can sometimes take a couple of days between someone experiencing symptoms and their viral load being high enough to register on the rapid tests, she said.

“So we want people to have enough on hand … to be able to test a few times over a few days without having to go out in public.”

Langille isn’t worried about running out. NB Lung has “several hundred” test kits from the federal government’s surplus as well as the province, and access to more, she said.

‘Not everyone needs to be tested’

Although some experts have recommended swabbing multiple areas, including the back of the throat and cheek, instead of just the nose, to increase the effectiveness of the tests that were designed to detect the original strain of the novel coronavirus, the province’s advice hasn’t changed, said Hatchard.

“For rapid test result accuracy, Public Health recommends following the manufacturer’s instructions on test kits,” he said in an emailed statement.

“It is important to note that not everyone needs to be tested.”

Public Health recommends rapid tests for “people who work in vulnerable settings and for people who are at a higher risk of severe illness and may benefit from treatment,” he said.

“For the general public, anyone feeling unwell should stay home until symptoms improve.”