Travelers with face masks arrive at the Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, Canada, on Sept. 26, 2022. (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua)
XBB variants are expected to increase in Canada and it is not known whether they will become the dominant lineage, a senior official said.
OTTAWA, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- The proportion of COVID-19 XBB.1.5 was projected to rise to approximately 7 percent in Canada by mid-January, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said on Friday.
Tam said in a speech that XBB variants are expected to increase in Canada and it is not known whether they will become the dominant lineage. XBB.1.5 had been circulating in Canada at 2.5 percent during the week of Dec. 25, 2022 to Jan. 2, 2023.
"Nationally, the absolute number of cases is not surging at this time, nor is there evidence of increased severity with this or other new variants," Tam added.
"Like the winter weather, it can be difficult to predict exactly what we are going to see next but we do know it's too early to put away your winter coats and boots. Similarly, it's still too early to stop taking the personal protective measures that have helped us weather the COVID storm," she said.
In the statement released on Friday, Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization said that booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine are an effective tool to reduce the risk of severe illness and death. ■
