Canada Detects First Case of Highly Mutated Coronavirus Variant BA.2.86

Canadian health officials said that the province of British Columbia recorded the first infection with the new highly mutated strain (BA.2.86) of the Omicron virus in a person who had not traveled outside the province.

Wed 30 Aug 2023 | 08:48 AM

Canada detects first case of highly mutated coronavirus variant BA.2.86

By Amir Haggag

Canadian health officials said that the province of British Columbia recorded the first infection with the new highly mutated strain (BA.2.86) of the Omicron virus in a person who had not traveled outside the province.

The province's chief medical officer, Bonnie Henry, and Canadian Health Minister Adrian Dix stated in a joint statement that the infected person was not hospitalized and that monitoring infection with the BA.2.86 virus does not change the risk situation for citizens in British Columbia.

The two officials added: “It was not unlikely that the BA.2.86 virus would appear in Canada and the province... The Corona virus is still continuing to spread globally.”