Sask. reports first cases of EG.5, the latest Omicron subvariant – CBC

Province says 2,004 people have died of COVID-19 since March 2020

Aug 17, 2023

The newest COVID-19 Omicron subvariant is now circulating in Saskatchewan, according to the provincial government.

Twenty-one clinical specimens have tested positive for the EG.5 variant, according to the latest Community Respiratory Illness Surveillance Program (CRISP) report which was released on Thursday.

EG.5 is a descendant variant of the most commonly detected Omicron variant, XBB.1.9.2, according to the province.

Experts have previously told CBC there is little evidence that the EG.5 variant causes more severe illness — even if it appears to be more infectious and is able to sneak past people’s immune defences.

It also unclear whether the subvariant causes any unfamiliar symptoms that haven’t already been documented in Omicron offshoots.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/sask-eg5-omicron-subvariant-1.6939761