Twenty cases of the new XXB.1.5 sub-variant of COVID-19, reputed to be even more aggressive than the Omicron variant from which it is derived, have already been confirmed in Canada.
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According to what the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has indicated to various media, 21 cases have been confirmed from coast to coast at the moment.
“PHAC scientists continue to monitor cases in Canada and its development internationally,” said the federal organization.
The Agency did not break down the breakdown of confirmed cases by province. In Quebec, a handful of cases have reportedly been detected so far since December, while British Columbia has acknowledged having identified five so far.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the newest form of the virus to concern the US is rapidly gaining dominant variant status.
According to data released last Friday, XXB.1.5 accounted for 41 of new infections, up from just 4% earlier this month.
The new variant is particularly virulent in the northeastern United States, where it accounts for about three out of four infections.
Early scientific research suggests that the XXB.1.5 variant may be the most effective to date at evading antibodies generated by vaccination or previous COVID-19 infection. Despite its high contagiousness, it does not appear to cause more severe symptoms than its predecessors.