‘It’s here’: COVID subvariant HV.1 growing in Canada. What to know so far – GLOBAL

November 15, 2023

A new COVID-19 subvariant called HV.1 is gaining traction across Canada, but whether or not it is more contagious than past variants remains to be seen, according to health experts.

HV.1, a subvariant of Omicron, is one of the only lineage groups showing consistent growth in the country, according to Health Canada.

Since August, the subvariant has grown from 2.1 per cent of reported cases to 34.4 per cent as of Oct. 29, Health Canada stated on its website. It also has overtaken other variants that were more dominant in the late spring and summer, such as XBB 1.16 (nicknamed the Arcturus variant).

“It’s here,” infectious diseases specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch told Global News. “If you look at the most recent genomic studies from Ontario it is the most prevalent lineage. And that was at the tail end of October. So by now, it’s much more than that.”

Read more: https://globalnews.ca/news/10088387/covid-omicron-subvariant-hv-1-canada/