New Omicron subvariant expected to become dominant in Ontario as cases rise – CTV
Jan. 18, 2023
Cases of a new, highly-transmissible Omicron subvariant have risen in Ontario, and the former head of the province’s science table said it will become the next dominant COVID-19 strain.
Speaking to CP24 on Tuesday, Dr. Fahad Razak said subvariant XBB.1.5, also known as the ‘Kraken,’ has been surging south of the border and it’s only a matter of time until Ontario sees a similar jump.
“If we follow the U.S. trajectory, that means that this will become the dominant version of the virus circulating probably within just a few weeks in Ontario and across the country,” said Razak, an internist at St. Michael’s Hospital.
According to the latest COVID-19 genomic surveillance report from Public Health Ontario released Tuesday, the XBB.1.5 subvariant is expected to account for 22.2 per cent of COVID-19 cases by the end of this week.
