The rise of the BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 subvariants is accelerating in Quebec. The presence of these two descendants of Omicron, capable of partially cheating the immune system, has more than doubled in one week, reveal the latest data from the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ).
Between October 16 and 22, more than one in 10 cases of COVID sequenced in Quebec were linked to these variants, which are gaining strength throughout the United States and Europe. The previous week, these two variant sublines accounted for only 5% to 6% of cases.
This rapid progress is consistent with that observed elsewhere on the North American continent, in particular in New York, a city that is a barometer of the progress of the epidemic, where the BQ.1.1 and BQ.1 variants now account for almost a third of the cases of COVID and for 15% of cases in California.
These latest Omicron variant comers are under scrutiny for their ability to partially escape immunity conferred by vaccines containing the ancestral strain of the virus, as well as previous infection with other Omicron subvariants. .
Several experts predict that BQ.1.1 and BQ.1 will dislodge the most common Omicron sub-variant BA.5 at present, and that they will be the source of the next winter wave of infections.
With the approach of winter, these experts are particularly concerned that this line is resistant to monoclonal antibodies, which will lead to fewer choices for treating people hospitalized with a severe form of the disease and perhaps more long hospitalizations.
The European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) also predicts that these new sub-lines will be the source of more than 50% of infections in Europe by the end of November and will be largely dominant (80%) by the beginning of 2023.
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