Experts concerned of possible spread after COVID-19 variant found in B.C.

B.C.’s first case of the new COVID-19 variant is somewhere on Vancouver Island, and experts worry about the possible spread.

“That’s really worrying because we’re barely controlling the regular COVID, and if we do see something that transmits even more easily, we will most likely struggle to control it,” said Caroline Colijn, a mathematics professor at Simon Fraser University and an expert in infection evolution and public health.

The new mutated version of COVID-19 was first identified in the United Kingdom and it made its way to the Island after a resident returned from London on an Air Canada flight 855 on Dec. 15.

The Ministry of Health says the person and a number of close contacts have been in isolation, and it’s BC’s only case, but there’s also the worry it might spread from other sources.

“The odds are that this variant is in the U.S., and may have been here for some time,” said Colijn.

READ MORE: Province’s first case of new COVID-19 variant is in Island Health region

Top health officials say it transmits much more easily than the coronavirus we’re accustomed to.

“It could be because one of the changes, the mutations, has made the virus more easily able to attach to those receptors that allow the virus to get in our body,” said PHO Dr. Bonnie Henry in a press conference on Dec. 21.

Although it’s easier to pass along, it doesn’t seem to be any more dangerous and the COVID-19 vaccine is just as effective on the mutated strain.

“Obviously, if the virus becomes more contagious, that’s not a good thing but there’s no evidence as of yet that the virus makes more people sick, that it causes more severe disease,” said Dr. Christopher Labos, an epidemiologist and cardiologist.

“And there’s no evidence yet that it’s going to invalidate all the vaccine work that has been done up until now.”

So far, Canada has a handful of cases of the new variant, including in B.C., Alberta and Ontario.

While it’s unknown how quickly it might spread in B.C., some studies estimate its 50 per cent more likely to transmit.

“If it really is that much more transmissible, maybe it gets through that mask a little bit more, maybe it’s that little bit more likely to be transmitted when we go to the grocery store or at restaurants,” said Colijn.

Health officials say now, more than ever, it’s important to keep that six feet of distance, wear masks and avoid non-essential travel.

rlawrence@cheknews.ca

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