Residents in London and Middlesex County should make sure their COVID-19 vaccinations are up-to-date before the latest, more transmissible Omicron subvariant arrives in the area, the region's top doctor is urging.
Dr. Alex Summers, the medical officer of health at the Middlesex London Health Unit, said Wednesday that there have, so far, been no confirmed cases of the Omicron offshoot XBB.1.5 in the city and county, but that is likely to change in the near future.
"We know that it has arrived in British Columbia, the northeastern United States, and I anticipate we will hear reports of it in Ontario over the next number of weeks," said Summers.
XBB.1.5, which has been nicknamed 'Kraken', was first detected in October and has since spread to 29 countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It is expected to soon make up over 30 per cent of all COVID-19 cases in the United States and is reportedly on its way to becoming the next dominant strain in the U.K.
The Omicron subvariant is considered to be the most infectious subvariant detected to date. Scientists have said its mutations boost its ability to evade antibodies allowing it to spread more easily.
"The emergence of this subvariant for me is a reminder that COVID is here to stay. We will continue to see new emerging variants of COVID-19, just like we have seen a number of new variants over the last number of years," said Summers. "With each variant there may be an increased risk of infectiousness, an increased risk of severe outcomes, and an increased risk that the vaccines we have won't work as well. So we have to remain vigilant and remind ourselves that we have tools available to us to protect ourselves."
Those tools include masking in crowded indoor public spaces, regular hand washing, staying home when sick, and keeping COVID-19 vaccines current.
"Everybody was recommended over the age of 5 to get a booster against COVID-19 this fall, but we know that only 30 per cent of people 12 and older have received a booster in the last six months," said Summers. "So we have lots of folks who are still eligible to receive that vaccine who haven't yet got it... it will prevent you from potentially getting infected in the first place but most importantly from getting really sick and ending up in hospital."
Summers added that uptake of the vaccine has dropped off dramatically since it was originally rolled out at the end of 2020. Between 85 to 90 per cent of eligible area residents received the first two doses. However, with each booster recommended fewer people locally have rolled up their sleeves.
Circulation of the virus is again gaining momentum in the London area. On Tuesday, the health unit reported 311 new cases had been confirmed over the last week. To bring the region's total case count since March 2020 to 47,209. There was also one additional death confirmed over the past seven days. A woman in her 70s who was not associated with a long-term care or retirement home, succumbed to the virus, the health unit said. Her death increases the local death toll to 509. There are currently 515 active cases, a jump of 104 since last Wednesday.
At the London Health Sciences Centre, there are 64 patients with the virus. According to hospital officials, just 12 of the current inpatients are being treated for the virus, while the remaining 52 are being treated for other ailments but have tested positive for COVID. The intensive care unit has eight infected patients. There are also five or fewer patients with COVID-19 at Children’s Hospital, including five or fewer admitted to paediatric critical care.
"What we have started to see over the last year is that COVID typically rises and falls about every three to four months," said Summers. "That is driven by a reduction in the immunity in the population as well as an emergence of new variants. So we are seeing COVID begin to rise in our community right now."